GPS Ballot Box Tracking

About the Program

Category: Information Technology (Best in Category)

Year: 2022

San Mateo County has provided election services to its citizens since its foundation in 1856. But while the fundamentals of democracy remain unchanged, the demands of the election environment necessitate constant adaptation to provide the greatest possible security. Practices which were unremarkable a decade ago may be unacceptable today, as tools become available to improve these processes. With a Presidential General Election of unprecedented size, conducted during a global pandemic and with concerns of fraudulent ballot boxes and disturbances at the polls, the San Mateo County Registration & Elections Division felt that it was an urgent challenge to gain better real-time information about the status and location of our ballot boxes. With the implementation of GPS tracking in every box, our office was able to achieve a level of insight into the minute-by-minute process of the election to an extent that would shock the poll workers of 1856.