Protecting Your User Account: Two-Factor Authentication

Cybersecurity

In today’s world, data security is paramount. Protecting your organization’s data wherever it may be is a critical element of any organization’s security practices and policies. And when it comes to voting events and elections run on Simply Voting, security goes hand-in-hand with election integrity.

What is Two-Factor Authentication?

Two-factor authentication (2FA), put simply, is an added layer of security that can be enabled by users on your organization’s account. Two-factor is shown to significantly decrease the risk of an account breach by combining two forms of protection — something ideally only you should know (e.g. your username and password) with something only you have available (e.g. your mobile device). Simply Voting supports two-factor authentication through any number of reliable authenticator applications.

Enabling Two-Factor Authentication on your User Account

The handy Election Manager Guide’s Account Management section covers how to enable and disable two-factor authentication. To enable it, you’ll need your mobile device. Then Simply log into your account as you normally would, and proceed to the Security section of your account. Locate the Two-Factor Authentication section and follow the instructions provided. Once completed, you will see a notice that your account is protected.

Logging into the Election Manager with Two-Factor Authentication

When you attempt to log into the Election Manager tool, you’ll use your username and password just like before. After that step, you’ll also be prompted to complete a secondary login element related to two-factor authentication, as shown in the screenshot below and in this FAQ item in our Help section.

Security Check-up

Finally, while in the Security section, take a moment do a security check-up on your password as well. Are you using it with any other website? Is it sufficiently secure? Are your security questions up-to-date? When in doubt, take those extra steps to help protect both your account and the integrity of your voting events and elections on Simply Voting.