Civic Register
| 3.21.18

Voting Security & Russian Interference

Join us and tell your reps how you feel!

What’s the story?

It’s been a busy week for the Senate Intelligence Committee in regards to Russia. On Tuesday the Committee issued a report on election security based on their year-long investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Then on Wednesday they held a hearing on the issue, questioning both current head of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and former head Jeh Johnson.

The report contains recommendations that have been suggested by technology and election security experts for some time:

  • Reinforce state’s primary authority in administering elections.

  • Create effective deterrence by responding appropriately to hostile acts, such as election interference, and working with allies to develop new international cyber norms.

  • Improve information sharing on threats between federal and state officials, including the expediting of security clearances for state election officials.

  • Secure election-related systems, including voter databases, through better coordination with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), state election cybersecurity staff and vetted private cybersecurity vendors.

  • Securing the vote itself through immediate moves to reintroduce voting machines that provide a paper back up for every vote.

  • Federal funds dedicated to providing support to states in replacing equipment, training staff, and conducting election audits.

In the hearing Wednesday, senators questioned Nielsen about their recommendations, and what DHS is doing to support them. For the entirety of the hearing, you can check CSpan, but here are some clips.

What do you think?

Should states be obligated to work with Congress, with full transparency, to combat election interference? Should the federal government prioritize resources to help states prepare for the 2018 elections and beyond? Are there recommendations in the Intel Committee’s report that you think are most important to implement soon, or that miss the mark?

Tell us in the comments what you think, then use the Take Action button to tell your reps!

— Asha Sanaker

(Photo Credit: U.S. Dept of Homeland Security via Flickr / Creative Commons)