Marian K. Schneider: “The recommendations…make the case that states need immediate federal support to build a stronger defense.”
(March 21 2018) — The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released a report today about Russian targeting of election infrastructure during the 2016 election. Read the full set of recommendations here. The following is a statement from Marian K. Schneider, president of Verified Voting:
“The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) report recognizes that voter-verified paper ballots and post-election audits are the best way – given current technology – to ensure that an attack on our voting systems can be detected and the outcome verified.
“As the Intelligence Committee hearing established again this morning, there was foreign interference during the 2016 election and a real possibility that similar acts to undermine faith in our democratic system will occur again. Security experts agree that safeguarding and protecting our election systems is important, and the Intelligence Committee report is another indication that Congress and state governments must urgently address the vulnerabilities in our election systems, both by mandating voter-verified paper records and audits as well as allocating resources to accomplish these goals.
“Some states are already taking steps to safeguard their voting systems. Virginia made the move to decertify all of its voting machines last year, acknowledging that its voting machines were computerized and like all computers they are vulnerable, while Colorado became the first state to implement risk-limiting audits (RLAs) statewide. Other states are following suit, but states need resources to replace aging, insecure voting equipment and implement robust post-election audits.
“The Intelligence Committee’s report correctly identified that by making federal funds available to states that need them, states will be able to help defray the costs of audits and improve cybersecurity. But legislation like the Secure Elections Act would also help states replace aging systems and move toward a truly secure paper-based voting system. In order to adopt the Intelligence Committee’s recommendations, Congress must immediately pass this legislation and support states’ efforts to safeguard elections.
“It’s time we prepare to monitor, detect, respond and recover from any potential attacks that undermine the democracy of our elections. The recommendations laid out by the Intelligence Committee make the case that states need immediate federal support to build a stronger defense by using paper ballots or having a voter-verified paper trail and implementing widespread, statistically sound audits like RLAs.”