Securing Your Vote: Are the 2018 Elections Protected?

As we approach the midterm elections in 2018, there is a mix of good news and warning signs regarding election security.

Americans eagerly await the election results and answers to questions like which political party will win control of Congress? Also, will state governments swing left or right? But behind the curtains, security and technology pros are working harder than ever to make sure that your local vote is properly counted.

I covered several aspects of this election topic a month ago with this expert interview on election security with David O’Berry.  O’Berry articulated the view that states are nowhere near ready, and bad news will dominate election security coverage in November, 2018.

Nevertheless, DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen says the midterms will be the “most secure election we’ve ever had.”

“”My biggest concern is that a foreign entity will take the opportunity after the election, or the night of the election, to attempt to sow discord through social media by suggesting that something’s not working as it should in a particular area,” Nielsen said Friday morning at a Council on Foreign Relations event in New York.

The conversation with Nielsen about comes just four days before Election Day and amid major DHS efforts to protect the US elections from foreign interference.

That includes assisting election officials in all 50 states, creating its own center to protect critical infrastructure, and attending Defcon to learn about voting machine flaws. While DHS is working to protect the machines and make sure voting officials are prepared, it’s that wave of disinformation on social media that’ll follow the election that Nielsen’s most worried about. …”

Election News from the States’ Frontlines

SC Magazine report that only 21 states have submitted their DHS election security audit.

“While the DHS declined to say which (Read more...)