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Concerns over foreign and domestic interference have raised questions about the legitimacy of U.S. elections. While research has explored election administration and public views on electronic voting, little attention has been given to election administrators’ perspectives. This study addresses that gap by examining how Georgia election officials perceive the use of electronic pollbooks (e-pollbooks) for voter check-in. The research hypothesizes that administrators view e-pollbooks as enhancing democratic legitimacy and election security. To test this, the paper presents findings from an NSF-funded online survey conducted two months before the 2024 general election. The survey was distributed to all 159 Georgia county election administrators and received IRB approval. It asked respondents to evaluate the security, reliability, ease of use, and fairness of various voter check-in systems, along with broader characteristics of elections in their counties. The results offer insight into how those managing elections assess the tools that support electoral integrity. 

Abstract In this paper, we address several facets of the problem we call local government cyber insecurity—a problem that plagues such governments across the nation, if not the world. We describe this problem and discuss its manifestations in local governments. This is followed by our analysis of why, on average, local government cybersecurity is managed and practiced so poorly. Next, we discuss several constraints on local governments that may help to explain why so many of these governments are not able to provide highly effective cybersecurity. We then discuss steps that local governments can and should take to improve their cybersecurity, including adopting dedicated cybersecurity budgets, adopting several highly recommended cybersecurity policies, and following best cybersecurity practices.