AI in Elections: Essentials for Risk Management

This guide from the Election Security Exchange provides a practical foundation for election officials looking to adopt AI tools responsibly. It walks through key steps for managing AI in the election office, from establishing a formal use policy and training staff, to selecting secure tools, configuring critical security settings, and maintaining human oversight of AI-generated output. The guide is designed to help offices take an intentional, structured approach to AI adoption that harnesses its benefits while mitigating risks and safeguarding election integrity. 

• Start with Policy: Developing an AI use policy is one of the most cost-effective security controls an office can implement, providing clear guardrails around how AI can and cannot be used, how sensitive data should be handled, and who is responsible for oversight and enforcement.
  
• Define Your Use Case Before Adopting a Tool: Officials are encouraged to identify specific, well-defined problems they want to solve. The guide illustrates actionable use cases, helping teams select appropriate tools and prevent unapproved uses.
  
• Invest in Training: A policy is only effective if understood and followed. The guide recommends mandatory, routine training that covers the internal rules for AI use – how tools can and cannot be used, and what risks to watch for. Recommended resources include The Elections Group and Arizona State University’s AI & Elections Clinic.
  
• Configure Security Settings and Choose Paid Tools: The guide recommends AI platforms that offer data protection, encryption, and multi-factor authentication. It also stresses the importance of turning off data-sharing settings, enabling two-step login, and applying the principle of least privilege for user access.
• Maintain Human Oversight: AI can frequently produce inaccurate and fabricated information. The guide makes clear that humans must review and validate all AI-generated output before it is used or made publicly available, a non-negotiable safeguard for protecting election integrity. 

To access the full guide, visit the Election Security Exchange resource page.