The election system shuddered in 2020. Now, there are fears of an attack within

Poll workers at the Ottawa County Clerk building in West Olive, Michigan get training in assembling a machine that helps people vote. (Elaine Cromie for NPR)

If you really break it down, a national election in America consists of one basic interaction, repeated millions of times.

A voter checks in with an election worker. The election worker gives the voter a ballot. This is what allows voters to vote.