Ideas

The U.S. Election System Is Not Ready for Blockchain Technology … Yet

Blockchain does not exist in a vacuum. It requires extensive support from human personnel and other technology.

Cybersecurity

CISA Director Identifies Main Targets of Russian Adversaries in Election Security Efforts

Appeals made to the information security community apply just as much to the average voter—the last line of defense is a patient voter.

Cybersecurity

More Federal Funds Could Help Small Jurisdictions With Technical Tools to Secure Elections, Expert Says

The potential for disinformation to disrupt the process casts a shadow on significant improvements made since 2016.

Ideas

Racing the Clock on Election Security

There are less than 100 days left until the presidential election.

Ideas

Research on Voting by Mail Says It's Safe – from Fraud and Disease

It can inspire public confidence in the voting process, if done properly.

Ideas

The Electoral College Is Surprisingly Vulnerable to Popular Vote Changes

This system is built to virtually ensure narrow victories, making it very susceptible to efforts to change either voters’ minds or the records of their choices.

Policy

Governments Need Clear Plans to Respond to Disinformation, Experts Say

One of the tricky parts of responding is addressing the conspiracy theories that domestic social media users create but then get amplified by foreign actors, experts said. 

Digital Government

Trump’s Attacks on Vote-by-Mail Worry Some Election Officials

For months, President Donald Trump has been one of the loudest opponents to vote by mail.

Digital Government

Pandemic, Civil Unrest Complicate Voting in the Nation’s Capital

Washington, D.C. is among the jurisdictions that encouraged residents to vote by mail to stay safe amid the coronavirus pandemic, but voters who came out to the polls Tuesday still encountered long lines.

Cybersecurity

CISA Official Sidesteps Controversy over Trump’s Voting Fraud Claims

The official said the agency is focused on protecting the voting infrastructure, not the president’s claims about mail-in voting fraud. 

Digital Government

House Bills Seek to Stop Political Ad Microtargeting

A pair of bills seek to limit how political campaigns can use data to reach voters.

Policy

States Struggle to Get Vote-by-Mail Plans Ready in Time

Many states delayed their primaries to give election officials more time to prepare, but quickly overhauling procedures comes with real challenges. What will it all mean for the November elections?

Digital Government

Ignoring Trump and Right-Wing Think Tanks, Red States Expand Vote by Mail

The Heritage Foundation and other conservative groups warn, with little evidence, that voting by mail fosters fraud. But some Republican secretaries of state reject those concerns and see no alternative to absentee voting if the pandemic persists.

Policy

Will COVID-19 Disrupt Election Day 2020?

"We have held elections during the Civil War and during World War I despite extreme conditions, so there isn’t any precedent for this," a professor of political science said.

Cybersecurity

West Virginia Scraps Voatz Mobile Voting App

The West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office announced it would use a different electronic absentee voting technology after researchers raised security concerns with the previous voting app it had used.

Cybersecurity

CISA Officials See ‘No Malicious Activity’ During Super Tuesday

Subsequent information could change the analysis but the agency does not currently attribute technical hiccups in some states to interference.  

Cybersecurity

Some Election-Related Websites Still Run on Vulnerable Software Older Than Many High Schoolers

Our analysis found that websites in dozens of towns and counties voting on Super Tuesday have security weaknesses. Richmond, Va., still uses software from 2003.

Cybersecurity

White House Budget Gives Election Agency More Funding, But Expert Says It's Not Enough

"A budget should be doubling down on funding [election-related] institutions," the observer argued. 

Cybersecurity

Senate Intel Report: Key Officials Excluded From 2016 Election Response

Committee leaders recommend an integrated response to cyber events and disregard for political affiliations moving forward.