As a news consumer, you may be aware that an election is taking place this week – in fact, it’s happening tomorrow.

This election is notable for the significant attention being given to the logistical aspects of the voting process itself. The detailed mechanics of ballots and their counting haven’t been under such scrutiny since the 2000 Florida recount, with pollsters, analysts, and legal teams closely examining questions like which ballots will be accepted, postal delivery timelines, the number of available drop-off locations, and whether voting machines produce verifiable paper records.

The process of voting in the United States is intricate; while presidential elections are conducted nationwide, the practical details of ballots and vote tabulation are determined at the local level – often differing not just between states, but also among counties. This localized control can lead to considerable variation in voting systems, but it also allows a smaller, rural county to serve as a model for improving voting procedures across the country.

VotingWorks is operating with this concept in mind.

VotingWorks is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that emerged from Y Combinator’s winter program last year. Its primary objectives are to enhance election technology through more affordable and secure voting systems, and to utilize advanced statistical methods to improve the accuracy and efficiency of voter audits. The organization searched for a suitable testing ground and ultimately partnered with Choctaw County, Mississippi, a rural community of nearly 10,000 residents, to implement its system in their election.

Matt Pasternack, co-founder of the organization alongside Ben Adida, explained that the county’s existing voting machines were outdated and lacked a paper audit trail. “We encountered a county that was so motivated to replace these older machines that they readily agreed to test our new system,” Pasternack stated.

The VotingWorks system offers a compelling value proposition. First, the company leverages existing hardware, avoiding the substantial costs associated with designing and building custom equipment, given the infrequent use of voting machines in the U.S. due to the quadrennial nature of many elections. Second, the organization’s software is publicly available as open source on GitHub, increasing transparency and verifiability while also reducing the price point.

Pasternack and Adida initially collaborated at Clever, an API middleware platform often referred to as the “Plaid of education,” which facilitates connections between applications and student information systems. Pasternack, the company’s first employee, shared that the two discussed politics and elections over time, eventually identifying an opportunity to enter the market during the 2018 midterm elections.

The team participated in Y Combinator in early 2019. With Choctaw County’s commitment to upgrading its machines, VotingWorks successfully deployed its system by August for the November 2019 election, which included statewide offices such as governor and attorney general. The machines were utilized in 13 voting precincts.

Adida emphasized the speed of deployment as a key learning experience. He noted the importance of quickly setting up machines each morning before voters arrive. VotingWorks streamlined the setup process, reducing the time required from approximately 30 minutes to just two or three minutes, a change that was greatly appreciated by poll workers.

Pasternack also pointed out that in a rural county like Choctaw, electrical capacity presented a challenge. Some precincts had limited power, and overloading a circuit with too many voting machines could disrupt voting for the entire location.

Since then, the organization’s technology has expanded to approximately 10% of Mississippi counties, driven in part by the state’s need for color printing capabilities. The state is voting on a new state flag design, and voters must be able to view the new flag options in color on their ballots. Pasternack highlighted that their on-demand printing technology is both efficient and cost-effective.

Beyond the machines themselves, the organization is developing audit software to enhance the statistical accuracy and reduce the cost of audits, as well as systems for improving the processing of absentee ballots. Adida stressed that these technologies are designed to be modular, allowing them to be used independently. “A modern voting system should be modular. Our auditing system can be used with any standard tabulator; you don’t need to use VotingWorks,” he explained. The technology is now being used in several other states, including key swing states like Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Tomorrow marks a significant day for the non-profit, but the organization’s vision extends far beyond. With increased attention on election logistics this year, there is hope that more counties and states will prioritize the development of better, more reliable election systems. “We envision a future where the foundation of democracy is publicly owned, and having open-source software managed by a non-profit organization feels like a step towards a stronger democracy,” Adida concluded.