Election Security is our number one priority.
Our right to vote is the foundation of our democracy. As the nonpartisan, official election source in the state of California, the California Secretary of State’s Office works around the clock to ensure every vote is safe and secure - that’s why the California Secretary of State’s Office established the Election Security Program.
Through the continuous investment in new tools, systems and infrastructure, the Election Security Program serves California with the sole purpose of keeping every Californian’s vote safe from interference, especially the spread of mis- and disinformation. The Election Security Program works to make sure every Californian is equipped with the accurate information they need to vote and trust that their vote counts and that county elections offices have the resources and training they need to protect their staff and systems.
- Report Misinformation
- California Trusted Information - Reality and Facts
- Informational Videos
- Resources for Counties
- Elections Security Publications
Check out the ways California has invested in your protection
Cyber threats to our elections are the new normal. California continues to take critical steps to implement safeguards to further secure our elections, including actively collaborating with multiple federal and state law enforcement agencies to ensure that Californians can register to vote, and vote, with confidence.
Voting Technology Security
- California has one of the most strenuous voting system testing and certification programs in the country
- Any new voting systems in California must receive certification and undergo months of testing, including functional testing, source code review, red team security testing that involves experts trying to “break into” the voting system, and accessibility and volume testing.
- California requires that every ballot must either be paper or have a voter-verifiable paper audit trail.
- Elections officials conduct a manual audit of a random 1% of ballots to ensure vote count machines are accurate.
- In collaboration with the California Office of Emergency Services, the Secretary of State’s Office has launched the California Election Security Task Force to ensure local officials have robust support from the state and federal infrastructure security partners in case of a security threat.
Look for Trusted Sources of Election Information
The Secretary of State is committed to ensuring elections are free, fair, safe, secure, accurate, and accessible. Misinformation, intentional or otherwise, continues to confuse voters and create distrust in the electoral process. California has one of the most extensive voting system testing and certification programs in the nation.
Our best defense against rumors and misinformation is you! False election information is more common than you think. If a claim seems outrageous or designed to upset you, it may not be true.
The best sources for trusted election information are your local and state elections officials. To find out more about election facts or common rumors being spread, visit catrustedinformation.sos.ca.gov.
To report false or misleading information send an email to catrustedinformation@sos.ca.gov
Methods to Evaluate Online Information
Before sharing content on social media, use the PAUSE method:
- P - Pay attention. Any source that uses overly emotional language, suggests your vote doesn't matter, or questions the safety and security of our elections may have ulterior motives for doing so.
- A - Ask questions. Why haven't I seen this source before? What does their wikipedia page say? Run a reverse image search on Google and see where the image came from.
- U - Understand motives. Whereas your County Elections Office and Secretary of State's only motive is safe and secure elections, other organizations may have other goals in mind
- S - Send possible misinformation to VoteSure@sos.ca.gov, the California Secretary of State's official misinformation email line so they can investigate
- E - Expect to get accurate election information from your official, nonpartisan election source - your County Registrar or the California Secretary of State.
Web Resources
- Report Misinformation
- You can also call our Voter Hotline to report misinformation to 1-800-345-VOTE (8683)
- California Trusted Information - Reality and Facts
Publications Related to Election Integrity or Misleading Information
- California Election Safeguards (PDF)
- California Election Security Safeguards Poster (PDF)
- Life Cycle of a Ballot (PDF)
- Election Integrity Fact Sheet (PDF)
- Election Integrity Infographic (PDF)
- Vote-by-Mail Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) (PDF)
- CISA - Disinformation Stops with You (PDF)
- CISA - How Media is Manipulated (PDF)
- FBI - PSA – False Claims of Hacked Systems (PDF)
Our Federal and Local Partners
We continually work with federal, state, and local partners – including the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, CA Department of Technology, CA Office of Emergency Services, California Highway Patrol, and county elections officials – to share election security information and best practices. Our office hosts cybersecurity trainings with our federal and state partners, as well as organizing tabletop exercises and drills for county election officials.
