Empowering Secure Elections Lab

The Empowering Secure Elections (ESE) Laboratory is a non-partisan university research program focused on understanding and strengthening the security of elections and their processes. The lab studies threats that could arise during voting, including cyber threats, human risk, and physical security and uses this research to create training tools and models for research and practical purposes. Our work spans many types of research, including training program development, surveys of voter experience, and collaboration with local election offices to enhance election security.

What We Do

Risk-Based Election Security Research
We analyze cyber, physical, and insider threats across both mail and in-person voting systems to help election officials prioritize high-impact risk mitigations.

Mail Voting & Resilience

Research evaluates vulnerabilities and adversarial dynamics in mail voting systems, finding that expanded mail voting can reduce incentives for interference while increasing voter participation.

In-Person Voting & Critical Infrastructure Protection
Federally supported modeling of optical scanner voting systems, used by approximately 70% of U.S. voters, maps risks across the full voting lifecycle and identifies priority vulnerabilities for mitigation and training.

Poll Worker Training & Frontline Preparedness
In partnership with Maryland Boards of Elections, the lab develops and evaluates digital, app-based training modules addressing cyber, physical, and insider threats. Structured training significantly improves threat awareness and mitigation readiness. These modules are scheduled for statewide use in Maryland’s 2026 election cycle.

Voter Confidence & Information Environments
Research examines how beliefs in election-related mis/disinformation affect perceived risk and public trust. Findings show that belief—more than exposure—drives uncertainty, informing targeted communication strategies to strengthen voter confidence.