The presidential election of 2000 and the highly controversial recount in Florida brought the term “voter confidence” into the American political lexicon. Since then, it’s been the subject of increasing political concern, debate, and hand-wringing on both sides of the aisle.

States and localities across the nation faced extreme challenges in administering elections during the COVID-19 pandemic. Election administrators rose to the challenge for the general election in maintaining voter access, with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) noting it to be the most “secure election in history.” However, the road to that point was not an easy one.