On Thursday, the federal government took steps to get out in front of any questions people may have about the safety of their ballot with 12 days left until Election Day.
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Jen Easterly spoke to voters' concerns and reaffirmed that that ballots are confidential.
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“I can say with full confidence that the election infrastructure has never been more secure," Easterly said. "Regardless of who you vote for, you can have confidence your vote will be counted as cast.”
Easterly said elections officials are trained to handle any issues that arise at polling locations. She also said the fact that each state has a different system for casting ballots increases the security because one bad actor can't take down the entire nation's elections. More than 97 percent of voters will cast their votes in jurisdictions with a verifiable paper record of their ballot.
CISA took on physical and cyber security concerns for elections after indications of Russian interference in 2016. Another concern raised was the potential for threats toward election officials and their families.
"At the end of the day, cut through the noise and get to the signal," Easterly said. "The trusted voices are state and local election officials. Talk to your state and local officials – have them explain how they protect your vote."