You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.
A report by the Brennan Center for Justice has some sobering news for American election officials, who face the made up accusations of widespread voter fraud, and the very real cybersecurity threats coming from overseas.
The Brennan Center reports that 77% of election workers say threats against them have increased since 2020, and nearly 1 in 3 know of at least one election worker who has left the job because those concerns. Nearly 2 of 3 cite the spread of false information as making their jobs more dangerous.
On top of that, the FBI reported in March that hackers have targeted election officials in at least nine states with phishing attacks, and intelligence officials have warned that Russia may attempt to interfere with American elections this fall.
The Brennan Center recommends that the Department of Homeland Security should provide additional assistance to election offices to secure the infrastructure, protect election workers, and fight misinformation and disinformation.
With states poised to purchase over $500 million dollars of election systems in the next decade, Brennan says the Election Assistance Commission should expand training, improve voter system testing and certification programs, and increase oversight of election system vendors.
To read the report, entitled “How Federal Departments and Agencies Can Help Secure America’s Elections,” visit BrennanCenter.org, or our website at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.
Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we HAVE, it’s something we DO.”
For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.