There is nothing more fundamental to our democracy than the right to vote. It’s a right that should be treasured by American citizens and fiercely protected by election officials throughout the country.

In recent days, a number of issues about voter registration have been raised around the country. In some areas, there have been accusations of people being falsely registered to vote. In other areas, there have been questions about people being illegally purged from the voting rolls or subjected to illegal verification of their identity and citizenship.

Although some of these issues have been raised by Republicans and Democrats, the right to vote is a nonpartisan issue. If Americans are to trust the outcome of their elections and put their confidence in their elected leaders, they must have trust and confidence in the election process.

Officials must do their best to eliminate bogus registrations, but they also can’t erect undue barriers for citizens who want to register and vote. Voter registration reportedly is up across the nation, which is wonderful news, but it also puts more pressure on election officials to maintain the integrity of the registration process.

The same goes for the actual voting process, whether votes are cast in advance at an election office or at the polls on Nov. 4. Election officials across the nation are predicting a record turnout in this presidential election year. They must be prepared to handle those high numbers in a way that doesn’t deter voters’ participation. If that means buying more voting machines, adding new polling places or hiring more poll workers, they should look at that expense as a worthwhile investment in the democratic process.

On Election Day, voters need to be able to cast their ballots with relative ease. That means they shouldn’t have to wait for hours in line or struggle with ballots that are difficult to understand or mark. When they leave the polls, they should be confident that their ballots will be accurately counted, either by machine or hand, and added to the overall vote totals.

Voting is a simple act that will be repeated millions of times across this country between now and Nov. 4. It’s simple, but it’s the very foundation of this nation. There is no more important government function than to protect the integrity of the vote.