States move to protect voting systems’ integrity
Russia ‘threat is real,’ elections officials say
WASHINGTON – About two weeks before the first congressional primary, state election officials are ramping up efforts to protect their voting systems from cyberattacks as the nation’s intelligence officials warn that Russia will again try to meddle in U.S. elections.
Some states are moving to protect election data by encrypting their systems to thwart hackers; others asked the Department of Homeland Security to check their systems for vulnerabilities.
Their actions come in the wake of accusations by Homeland Security officials last year that Russian hackers tried to break into the election systems of 21 states in 2016. Although no votes were changed, hackers did breach Illinois’ voter registration database.
On Friday, special counsel Robert Mueller filed his first criminal charges against Russian citizens and businesses for what he called a wide-ranging effort to undermine the 2016 presidential election.
“The threat is real, and the response needs to be robust and coordinated,” said Matthew Masterson, chairman of the Election Assistance Commission, an independent agency of the U.S. government that provides information about how to administer elections. “Folks in the election community are taking the threats very seriously and taking whatever steps they can to address it.”
Congress has done little to help. A bipartisan Senate bill that would provide $386 million in federal grants to states to help them improve their election systems hasn’t received a hearing or vote in the Senate Rules and Administration Committee. There are no immediate plans by Senate leaders to bring the Secure Elections Act to the floor for a vote.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who introduced the bill with Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla.; Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; and Kamala Harris, D-Calif., said she will try to attach it to a must-pass government funding bill in March. She said more than 40 states rely on electronic voting systems that are at least 10 years old.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who cosponsors Klobuchar’s bill, said Congress needs to act soon to do states any good.
“This is an election year in our country, and it’s frankly frustrating to me that we haven’t passed legislation to help states strengthen the security of their voting systems,” Collins said Tuesday at a hearing where the heads of the FBI, CIA and National Security Agency warned the Senate Intelligence Committee that Russian hackers will target the 2018 congressional elections.
The committee plans to give states recommendations on ways to protect their voting systems. The first primary is set for March 6 in Texas, followed by one March 20 in Illinois. There is a special election for a western Pennsylvania congressional district March 13.
The Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank, released a report evaluating state election systems. Not a single state received an “A” rating. Eleven states received a “B,” 23 states received a “C,” 12 states received a “D,” and five states received an “F.”
Masterson said cash-strapped state election agencies could use more money to safeguard against cyberattacks.
“Whether it’s at the congressional level, state level or the local level, there’s a big need for resources for elections officials,” he said. States are doing what they can. In Mississippi, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said his agency just finished encrypting its system, including its voter database, and paid $27,750 for a company to try to hack its election system. The hackers could not penetrate it.
“That doesn’t mean it’s not hackable,” Hosemann said. “I guess everything is in some form or fashion. We continue to be vigilant about that. We have all kinds of firewalls.”
Other states have set up task forces and hired cyber security experts. Election officials created the Government Coordinating Council last fall to improve communication between federal agencies and state and local officials.