[cpeterso]

While I believe the concerns about mail-in voting fraud is vastly overblown, there are genuine security challenges with mail-in paper ballots. How would one design a mail-in voting system that ensures all votes are counted without fraudulent or duplicate votes while also providing voter privacy?

[rnestler]

In Switzerland we have mail-in voting since many years and it is the most used voting option. The way it works to ensure that votes aren't fraudulent / duplicate votes while providing voter privacy is as follows: Inside the main envelope there is your transmission card ("Stimmrechtsausweis") which is signed by you and a separate anonymous return envelope with your actual votes. When it arrives in the municipality the transmission card will be verrified and (if valid) the still closed return envelope will be put into the ballot for later counting.

See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_in_Switzerland for more information.

[cpeterso]

Thanks! I vote by mail in California, but it is "fire and forget", so it's interesting to see how another system works. I know some people in California who have received email confirmation that their mail-in ballot has been received (though I haven't).

[karatestomp]

How do all the mail-in ballots we already use work? They’re not exactly uncommon or new. For one thing, it’s how a decent chunk of the armed forces vote—and not just the ones overseas, those stateside vote in their “home” state, not where they’re stationed. That’d be a good place to start.

[wbg34]

That's where this issue gets kind of messy. Traditionally, to obtain a mail in ballot, a person had to request the ballot based a set criteria. Those who met that criteria would then receive the ballot which they can complete and mail back. There are two separate changes to that system that conservative groups seem to be concerned with.

The first is the changes to how those ballots are collected. Traditionally, the ballots would have to be mailed or turned into a collection center by the voter or a relative. States have made changes so that anyone can turn in the ballots to a collection center. The concern surrounding this is called ballot harvesting, where groups collect large number of ballots and turn them in for voters. There have been cases where this has been done fraudulently.

The second issue is where States are sending mail in ballots to every registered voter instead of just those who have requested one. There are concerns that the opportunities for ballot harvesting that would increase as a result from this. In addition to the concerns of ballot harvesting, there is concern that this could lead to people stealing ballots before they reach the intended voters.

[sympodius]

The UK has had mail voting for years. It works very well. Your ballot is marked with a unique reference vote. Once you mark the ballot, you fold and seal it, then put it into another envelope that also comes with the ballot.