Nancy Leifer, Margaret Bentwood and Clare Kearns
Our democratic republic depends upon citizens having faith in our elections. The League of Women Voters views election integrity as involving these criteria:
1. Accuracy in the election process
2. Access that enables all qualified citizens to vote
Accuracy means only qualified citizens vote, and ballots are secure, counted and tabulated correctly. Access that enables all qualified citizens to vote ensures that all voices are heard and that we truly have a representative democracy.
How are we doing on the first criteria? Montanaâs election process is widely viewed as having high integrity, as affirmed by both proponents and opponents in recent legislative hearings. The League of Women Voters Montana conducted its own study of the security of Montana elections in 2018, surveying all 56 county election administrators. We found that Montana already implements many of the best practices identified by election experts.