USA TODAY International Edition
Fund increase sought for election security
WASHINGTON — Congress must pass urgent funding to help states improve their voting systems’ cybersecurity to thwart Russian hackers and foreign governments from meddling in U.S. elections, the Senate Intelligence Committee said in a report released Tuesday.
“It is clear the Russian government was looking for vulnerabilities in our election system (in 2016),” said Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., as he and other committee members unveiled six election security recommendations. “We need to be more effective at deterring our adversaries.”
Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., said committee members “were all disappointed that states, the federal government, and the Department of Homeland Security were not more on their game in advance of the 2016 elections.” That needs to change right away to protect elections this year and in 2020, Warner said.
‘Maintaining the public’s faith ... is extremely critical,” Warner said.
The committee recommended that the federal government create an effective deterrence to cyber attacks, clearly communicating to adversaries “that an attack on our election infrastructure is a hostile act, and we will respond accordingly.”
Congress should create a voluntary grant program that states can use to hire more information technology experts, update aging software, conduct audits of their election systems, and hire contractors to provide cybersecurity services, the senators said. Burr said the panel will work with the Senate Appropriations Committee to secure more funding for states.
At a minimum, senators said, any new machine that states buy should have a voter-verified paper trail and no WiFi capability that can be hacked.
“Russians cannot hack a piece of paper the way they can a computer system connected to the Internet,” said Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif.
The senators emphasized that states “should remain firmly in the lead on running elections, and the federal government should ensure they receive the necessary resources and information.” States have bristled at any suggestion that the federal government infringe on their traditional role in running elections.
The committee also said there is a need for improved information-sharing about cyber attacks among the federal government, states and local governments. Senators said the U.S. intelligence agencies should work to declassify information quickly, whenever possible, so they can warn state and local officials about attacks.
The Department of Homeland Security should work closely with election experts to create voluntary cybersecurity guidelines and a public awareness campaign to promote election security awareness, working through the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, the National Association of Secretaries of State, and the National Association of State Election Directors, the committee recommended.
The election security recommendations are the first action taken by the committee as part of its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. The panel, which began its probe in January 2017, plans to come out with further reports in the weeks ahead.