The United States has a highly decentralized system of voting, with over 10,000 different election jurisdictions, each with its own rules set by state and local governments. This structure makes the nation’s elections complicated, but also safe from widespread fraud.

Decentralized System

The Founding Fathers gave authority over elections to the states, rather than the federal government. While Congress has the power to regulate elections, the Constitution makes clear that states have primary authority to set the ‘times, places and manner’ for elections.

There is no national election agency that administers the presidential contest, and the day-to-day work of running an election falls to local officials, usually a clerk or election supervisor, with help from staff and volunteers.

Security Measures

Election security experts say the decentralized system is a strength, as it would require large numbers of election workers to risk prosecution, prison time, and fines to steal a presidential election. There are also shared practices and security measures in place across the country to ensure that only eligible voters can cast a ballot and only one ballot is counted for each.

For example, most states require or request voters to provide identification at the polls, and absentee voting requires a voter’s signature, with many states having further precautions, such as bipartisan teams comparing signatures or requiring notarization.

Original reporting: NBC4 Los Angeles — read the source article.