America's election systems are more than just machines – they're people, who are overworked, underpaid and feeling pressured

By Amel Ahmed, Associate Professor of Political Science, UMass Amherst

When people think about making elections secure, they often think about voting machines, cybersecurity and mechanical threats. They don’t think about people.

Since 2016, when there was evidence of computer hacking that did not affect the election’s results, the federal government has taken significant steps to secure elections, such as declaring election systems as crucial to national security as the defense industry,…

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