Election Security in a Connected Era

Election officials work diligently year-round to prepare and maintain a process that is free, fair and accessible. Nonetheless, foreign interference in the 2016 presidential election exposed cracks in the security of America’s electoral process. The many vulnerabilities in our country’s election systems include the relative ease of voting machine hacking, threats to voter registration systems and personal privacy, and disinformation campaigns waged by foreign nations aiming to confuse voters and disrupt our electoral process.

State and local entities maintain much of the nation’s election infrastructure, rendering them both key players in addressing these vulnerabilities and prominent targets of attacks. In the past, the focus of election security has centered almost exclusively on the physical security of the process. However, the interconnected nature of today’s digital landscape requires that our focus shift to combating information operations and strengthening our defenses.