Review of Election System - Low-Risk Assessment Determined

The Auditor’s Office has released a review on the security of the election system for the State of North Dakota. The review focused on possible vulnerabilities or threats related to the voting process and was conducted by a third-party contractor. The contractor – Secure Yeti has worked with numerous State and Federal agencies, as well as the Department of Defense. During the review, key personnel and stakeholders were interviewed by the contractor, and the voting equipment operation was demonstrated.

For the entire review, six vulnerabilities were identified, however, all six areas were labeled “low” risk. Vulnerabilities do exist in every system universally. For the North Dakota election system to be exploited, unprecedented collusion would have to occur. It is exceptionally unlikely that the results of an election in North Dakota would be fraudulently influenced.

“We looked at any potential weaknesses in the election system of our state that could be exploited by someone with nefarious intent,” said State Auditor Joshua Gallion. “The determination after extensive review from our contractor was that our election systems are incredibly secure across our state.”

The review process took place May 16, 2022, through July 31, 2022. The complete review can be found here: https://ndsao.link/Security.