Voting Machines and WiFi: What to Know
How do we keep voting machines safe and secure ahead of elections?
The Civic Listening Corps was formed in January 2022 to give communities across the country the tools and training needed to identify and fight the misinformation we see online every day. Our goal is to use the knowledge we gather together to prevent further attempts to undermine our civic discourse.
By subscribing to our reports, sharing this post, or directing your friends and family to civiclistening.org, YOU can make a difference against the spread of online misinformation.
Social media posts claiming election misconduct due to the presence of Wi-Fi near polling sites have contributed to mistrust of voting machines and tabulators. However, experts in the field have dismissed these claims, pointing out that most voting machines don’t have Wi-Fi capabilities. The mere presence of Wi-Fi in a polling place or nearby doesn't necessarily indicate any wrongdoing.
Interviewed by AFP fact-checkers, Damon Hewitt (from the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law) and Andrew Appel (a computer science professor at Princeton University) highlight that Wi-Fi is a common feature in polling locations – frequently places like schools and libraries. Appel emphasizes that just because there's Wi-Fi around doesn't mean the voting machines are using it or are even capable of connecting to it. He also advises taking a closer look at the specific voting machine model before jumping to conclusions about nearby Wi-Fi networks. While it's true that some states allow voting technology that's compatible with cellular modems for transmitting unofficial results, these modems operate on secure, private networks—not the public internet.
Dominion Voting Systems has been a frequent target of election deniers who believe the company’s machines have been used to rig elections. Dominion states that its machines run on proprietary software code, ensuring no reliance on external sources.
Additionally, Dominion says its systems and software components undergo rigorous scrutiny by federally-accredited third-party test labs, sanctioned by both the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and individual states. A vote’s chain of custody remains firmly in the hands of state and local governments, with voting machines and election records carefully overseen by election officials. Any changes to certified software would necessitate extensive retesting and approval by election authorities. Additional safeguards, including pre-election testing, on-site observation by voters and party representatives, and meticulous post-election canvassing, further reinforce the credibility of the process.