VotingWorks
VotingWorks is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds open-source election technology for US state and county election administrators, offering the VxSuite voting system and the Arlo risk-limiting audit platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What VotingWorks does
VotingWorks is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2018 and headquartered in San Francisco (with a fully distributed US team) that builds open-source election technology for US state and county election administrators. Its two core products are VxSuite, the only open-source voting system used in US elections, which consists of four integrated components (VxAdmin for election setup and results management, VxMarkScan for accessible ballot marking, VxScan as the precinct scanner, and VxCentralScan for batch scanning of absentee ballots), and Arlo, an open-source post-election risk-limiting audit platform currently used by 8+ states including Georgia, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. The technology stack is designed to the federal VVSG 2.0 standard, with software integrity verifiable in the field in 30 seconds via signed hash validation and TPM-based artifact authentication, producing voter-verifiable paper ballots as the system of record.
VotingWorks goes to market through a direct enterprise sales motion targeting government jurisdictions, competing for procurement contracts and grants (including HAVA-eligible purchases) rather than through a traditional software SaaS channel. Real-election VxSuite deployments to date are limited to Choctaw County, Mississippi (since 2019) and the State of New Hampshire (statewide in 2025); the company is in testing for EAC VVSG 2.0 certification expected in early 2026. Revenue is generated through three streams: (1) voting technology hardware sales and support contracts, (2) government contracts and grants including CISA and NSF funding, and (3) foundation and individual donations from sources including Democracy Fund, Schmidt Futures, New Venture Fund, and high-profile individual donors. The organization is governed by a board of directors led by Executive Director Ben Adida and president Matt Pasternack, and was incubated by the Center for Democracy and Technology before becoming an independent 501(c)(3) in November 2019.
VotingWorks firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- VotingWorks
- Legal name
- VotingWorks
- Website
- https://voting.works
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- VotingWorks is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds open-source election technology for US state and county election administrators, offering the VxSuite voting system and the Arlo risk-limiting audit platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
VotingWorks industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Election Technology Software
- NAICS
- Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Electoral Support & Election Observation (BPADAGAA)
Keywords
Where VotingWorks is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
VotingWorks business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Voting Technology Sales and Support: Primary revenue stream from sale and support of VxSuite voting systems to government jurisdictions. Includes hardware (tabulators, ballot-marking devices) and associated software licenses and maintenance contracts.
- Government Contracts and Grants: Funding from government sources including CISA and NSF grants for specific technology development projects. HAVA grants can be used by jurisdictions to purchase VotingWorks equipment.
- Foundation and Individual Donations: Contributions from foundations (Democracy Fund, Schmidt Futures, New Venture Fund) and individual donors. These allow organization growth ahead of revenue sustainability from sales.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
VotingWorks product offering
Product offeringCore offering
VotingWorks sells VxSuite, an open-source voting system with four integrated components (VxAdmin for election setup and results, VxMarkScan for accessible ballot marking, VxScan for precinct scanning, and VxCentralScan for batch absentee ballot scanning) that produces voter-verifiable paper ballots compliant with VVSG 2.0 federal standards. The company also offers Arlo, an open-source post-election risk-limiting audit (RLA) platform that supports ballot polling, batch comparison, ballot comparison, and hybrid RLAs, used by multiple U.S. states to verify vote tabulation accuracy. Both products are sold directly to state and county election offices through government procurement and grants, with Arlo also freely available for self-hosting.
Product overview
VotingWorks is a nonpartisan nonprofit offering two main products: VxSuite (the only open-source voting system used in US elections) and Arlo (an open-source post-election auditing application). VxSuite is a unified voting system with four integrated components: VxAdmin manages election setup and results aggregation; VxMarkScan provides accessible ballot marking with multiple input modes; VxScan serves as the precinct scanner for hand-marked ballots; and VxCentralScan handles batch scanning of absentee/provisional ballots. All votes are cast on voter-verifiable paper ballots. Arlo complements the voting system by enabling rigorous Risk-Limiting Audits to verify vote tabulation accuracy.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- VxSuite: The only open-source voting system used in United States elections. Includes VxAdmin (election setup and results manager), VxMarkScan (ballot-marking device for accessibility), VxScan (precinct scanner), and VxCentralScan (batch scanner for absentee ballots).
- Arlo
Products and services
- VxSuite The only open-source voting system used in United States elections, consisting of four integrated components: VxAdmin for election setup and results management, VxMarkScan as an accessible ballot-marking device, VxScan as a precinct scanner, and VxCentralScan as a batch scanner for absentee/provisional ballots. Voters mark ballots by hand or touchscreen, casting voter-verifiable paper ballots designed to VVSG 2.0 standards. Sold to state and county election offices through government procurement.
- Arlo Open-source post-election auditing application for conducting Risk-Limiting Audits (RLAs) of vote tabulation. Supports ballot polling, batch comparison, ballot comparison, and hybrid RLAs for single jurisdiction to statewide audits. VotingWorks provides a hosted version and customer support, and the software is freely available for anyone to use and host.
Quantifiable outcome
- Software integrity checkable in field in 30 seconds
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use VotingWorks
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
VotingWorks technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
VotingWorks partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, pilot, founding and regulatory.
- Security CompasscoreSecurity Compass conducted a security assessment of Arlo, VotingWorks' post-election audit software. The assessment verified Arlo's security for conducting risk-limiting audits.
- Wisconsin Election Commission / MicrosoftpilotVotingWorks partnered with Wisconsin Election Commission and Microsoft for an election pilot in the Town of Fulton, Rock County, Wisconsin to test the voting system.
- Center for Democracy and TechnologyfoundingCDT incubated VotingWorks in its early stages. As a nonprofit focused on democracy and technology issues, CDT provided organizational support and guidance during VotingWorks' formation as a 501(c)(3) entity.
- EAC (Election Assistance Commission)regulatoryVotingWorks is engaged with the EAC for VVSG 2.0 certification. They submitted feedback on the VVSG 2.0 requirements and are currently being tested to the standard.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
VotingWorks competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Election Systems & Software (ES&S): The largest US voting machine vendor, providing tabulators, ballot-marking devices, and election management software to the majority of US counties. ES&S is the primary incumbent competitor that VotingWorks must displace to grow VxSuite market share.
- Hart InterCivic: Established US voting machine vendor offering Verity systems (ballot-marking devices, scanners, election management). Hart competes in the same government procurement processes for state and county voting system contracts.
- Dominion Voting Systems: Second-largest US voting machine vendor offering image-marked systems and election management software. Like ES&S, Dominion is an entrenched incumbent competitor that controls significant market share and faces the same procurement battles as VotingWorks.
- ClearBallot: Voting system vendor offering ballot-marking devices, optical scanners, and election management software with a focus on usability and auditability. Targets the same county and state procurement market as VotingWorks.
- Tenex Software Solutions: Voting machine and election management software vendor providing ballot-marking devices and tabulation systems to smaller US jurisdictions. Competes in the same procurement space as VotingWorks with a similar mid-market positioning.
Emerging players
- Microsoft ElectionGuard: Microsoft's open-source software development kit for election verifiability and end-to-end verification, offered as free technology to voting system vendors. Provides complementary technology rather than competing directly but influences the broader election integrity landscape.
- KNOWiNK: Provider of electronic poll books (e-poll books) and election worker technology used alongside voting systems. While not a direct voting machine competitor, KNOWiNK addresses adjacent election administration needs and increasingly bundles into full voting system offerings.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
VotingWorks social profiles
Digital presenceVotingWorks compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
VotingWorks financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
VotingWorks leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
VotingWorks funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
VotingWorks M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about VotingWorks
What does VotingWorks do?
VotingWorks sells VxSuite, an open-source voting system with four integrated components (VxAdmin for election setup and results, VxMarkScan for accessible ballot marking, VxScan for precinct scanning, and VxCentralScan for batch absentee ballot scanning) that produces voter-verifiable paper ballots compliant with VVSG 2.0 federal standards. The company also offers Arlo, an open-source post-election risk-limiting audit (RLA) platform that supports ballot polling, batch comparison, ballot comparison, and hybrid RLAs, used by multiple U.S. states to verify vote tabulation accuracy. Both products are sold directly to state and county election offices through government procurement and grants, with Arlo also freely available for self-hosting.
Is VotingWorks a public or private company?
VotingWorks is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was VotingWorks founded?
VotingWorks was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is VotingWorks based?
VotingWorks is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does VotingWorks make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Voting Technology Sales and Support is the primary driver. The others are government Contracts and Grants and foundation and Individual Donations.
Who are VotingWorks's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Election Systems & Software (ES&S), Hart InterCivic, Dominion Voting Systems, ClearBallot and Tenex Software Solutions. Emerging players are Microsoft ElectionGuard and KNOWiNK.
Does VotingWorks have an API?
No public API is recorded for VotingWorks.
What industry is VotingWorks in?
VotingWorks's product category is Election Technology Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADAGAA, Electoral Support & Election Observation. Its NAICS code is 541511 and its SIC code is 7370.