Commission set to investigate Pennsylvania election security

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Two former federal prosecutors will lead an independent investigation of election security in Pennsylvania.

The University of Pittsburgh announced Thursday that its Institute for Cyber Law, Policy and Security has assembled a group of experts to lead a commission on election cybersecurity in Pennsylvania.

The Blue Ribbon Commission on Pennsylvania’s Election Security will conduct research on the state’s voting machines, tabulation and storage; security of voter registration, rolls and databases; and create an action plan for resiliency and recovery of the state electoral system if a potential breach occurs.

David Hickton, founding director of Pitt Cyber and former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, is leading the commission with Grove City College president Paul McNulty, a former U.S. deputy attorney general, and a collection of other commissioners with subject area expertise.

“We are setting an example around the world for democracy,” Mr. Hickton said. “We can neither accept that [election meddling] is happening or explain it away by saying it’s too expensive or complicated to deal with.”

He hopes to amend any vulnerabilities in Pennsylvania’s system before the next presidential election in 2020. The commission will produce a public report sometime in 2019 with recommendations for local and state elected officials.

The commission is both proactive and reactive. It’s partly a response to events that have already transpired and also a bid to prevent further interference by bad actors.

“I was concerned about the incontrovertible evidence and acceptance that an election was hacked,” said Mr. Hickton, who brought the