Author Archive

Derek Willis

Derek Willis is a news applications developer at ProPublica, focusing on politics and elections. He previously worked as a developer and reporter at The New York Times, a database editor at The Washington Post, and at the Center for Public Integrity and Congressional Quarterly. He began his journalism career at The Palm Beach Post. He is a co-founder of OpenElections, a project to collect and publish election results from all 50 states.
Cybersecurity

Foreign Hackers Cripple Texas County’s Email System, Raising Election Security Concerns

The malware attack, which sent fake email replies to voters and businesses, spotlights an overlooked vulnerability in counties that don’t follow best practices for computer security.

  • By Jack Gillum, Jessica Huseman, Jeff Kao and Derek Willis, ProPublica
Digital Government

Federal Agencies Have Spent Millions on KN95 Masks, Often Without Knowing Who Made Them

Some experts worry that the products could remain in circulation long past the crisis and be used by unsuspecting federal employees who believe they have legitimate respirator masks.

  • By Yeganeh Torbati and Derek Willis, ProPublica
Cybersecurity

Iowa’s Lesson: Political Parties Are Not as Good as Government Officials at Counting Votes

Most primaries are run by state and local governments. But caucuses are different—and Iowa shows how that can be a problem.

  • By Jessica Huseman, Jack Gillum and Derek Willis, ProPublica