Here's what makes American elections so complicated and secure

By — Ali Swenson, Associated Press Ali Swenson, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/heres-what-makes-american-elections-so-complicated-and-secure Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Here's what makes American elections so complicated and secure Politics Jul 17, 2026 9:21 AM EDT In a speech to the nation Thursday evening, President Donald Trump said Americans deserve secure elections, and he claimed to be using federal authority to prevent them from being "stolen." READ MORE: Live fact-checking Trump's address from the White House In fact, one of the strongest security features of U.S. elections is the fact that they aren't conducted at the federal level. America votes in more than 10,000 different election jurisdictions, each with different rules set by state and sometimes local governments. That structure makes the nation's elections extraordinarily complicated — and also safe from widespread fraud. And when misconduct does happen — rarely — security protocols frequently catch it. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Decentralized elections date back to the nation's founding America's highly decentralized system of voting exists because the nation's Founding Fathers gave authority over elections to the states, rather than the federal government. While Congress has the power to regulate elections — and has used that authority to pass such laws as the Voting Rights Act — the Constitution makes clear that states have primary authority to set the "times, places and manner" for elections. There also is no national election agency that administers the presidential contest, something that's different from many other countries. And when it comes to doing the day-to-day work of running an election, the responsibility falls to officials at the local level — usually a clerk or election supervisor — with help from staff and volunteers. WATCH: Trump setting stage to declare emergency around midterms, former White House attorney says While differences in election laws can get confusing, election security experts say this structure is a strength. That's because to pull off stealing a presidential election — as Trump falsely claims was done to him in 2020 — it would require large numbers of election workers in the most competitive counties across the country who are willing to risk prosecution, prison time and fines while working with officials from both parties willing to look the other way. And everyone somehow would have to keep quiet — a highly unlikely scenario. There are also shared practices and security measures in place across the country that together work to ensure that only eligible voters can cast a ballot and only one ballot is counted for each. Voter fraud can happen, but it's rare and there are safeguards to catch it Most Americans by now have probably heard stories a