Senators introduce bill to enhance election security

A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators recently introduced a bill to improve election security and protect against foreign interference in U.S. elections.

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), James Lankford (R-OK), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced the bill.

“Election security is national security, and our election systems have become a target for foreign adversaries,” Sen. Klobuchar said. “The freedom to choose our leaders and know with full confidence that those leaders were chosen in free and fair elections is something that Americans have fought and died for since our country was founded. We must do everything in our power to protect our democracy from future attacks, and ensure those on the front-lines of administering elections are equipped with the tools and resources necessary to keep them safe. Time is of the essence, the next federal election is less than a year away.”

The Secure Elections Act would reaffirm state leadership in administering federal elections and provide security clearances to appropriate state officials so that they can quickly address cybersecurity threats. The bill would also ensure that the federal government promptly shares election cybersecurity information with state, county, and municipal election agencies.

The legislation would also establish a panel of independent experts and an open process to develop voluntary cybersecurity guidelines for election-related systems. It would also provide grants to states to support the implementation of the cybersecurity guidelines and the replacement of outdated electronic voting machines.

The introduction of this legislation follows intelligence reports that Russia hacked presidential campaign accounts, launched cyberattacks on at least 21 state election systems and attacked a U.S. voting systems software company.

“While there is no indication that the Russians were able to change vote totals, we know that Russian actors repeatedly tried to breach state election systems or public websites,” Sen. Collins said. “Our bipartisan legislation will strengthen the integrity of our election process by ensuring that local voting officials have the information and financial resources they need to secure their voting systems. These safeguards will protect and bolster public confidence in our elections.”