We Are Overly Reliant on Insecure Technology

U.S. voting systems are insecure, outdated and overpriced due to a lack of oversight and regulation.
Many voting systems currently in use have been demonstrated to be easily hackable at DEF CON, an international hackers conference.
Most jurisdictions are not doing regular audits, and what audits are being done are not being done by neutral professional auditors.
While we want to have confidence in our election results, it is hard to have complete confidence because of these facts.
Below are suggested messaging on these issues, ways to improve our elections, and trusted groups to look to and collaborate with.

TAKING ACTION

Support the #CountTheVote project and other efforts that are gathering evidence to demonstrate that election results are correct - or locating problems if they exist.

America relies on technology to a much greater extent than other democracies, many of whom count their ballots by hand, in public.
The technology that we use is often insecure, outdated and sold to jurisdictions at inflated prices.

This is partly due to an almost complete lack of regulation of election equipment. According to the Brennan Center, "The federal government regulates colored pencils ... more stringently than it does America’s election infrastructure."

The federal agency that oversees voting technology, the Election Assistance Commission, has no regulatory power. They can only make voluntary recommendations.

Hackers at DEF CON, an annual international hackers conference, have been able to successfully hack many of the voting machines currently in use for 3 years in a row.

But that’s not all…

OUR ELECTIONS ARE UNDER ATTACK

Our elections are under attack by foreign adversaries.

DO WE KNOW THAT THE 2016 ELECTIONS WERE NOT HACKED?

DHS Never Ran Audit to See if Votes Were Hacked

BUT ELECTION EQUIPMENT ISN'T HOOKED UP TO THE INTERNET...

Testimony that there were modems found in 2016 election equipment in Wisconsin

Report: Voting Machine Problems in 2006

In 2006, over 19,000 votes in a single race “disappeared” on touch screen voting machines in Florida. Election supervisor Kathy Dent defended them vigorously. People For the American Way got involved.