2/7 The security problems that were unearthed during the 2016 election have very little to do with voting machines, but rather, the computer systems that support the administration of elections.
3/7 Many states do need new voting machines, but that’s primarily because they are old and beginning to break down. This article at least credits the fact that many states were already beginning to address the decrepitude of the machines.
4/7 Replacing voting machines that don’t have paper backups is a good thing, but the new security threats don’t do much to increase the urgency of doing so.
5/7 There are short-, medium-, and long-term strategies to addressing election security threats. The question isn’t whether states are doing everything now, but whether they are prioritizing correctly.
6/7 If you’re worried about whether states are prepared for 2018, ask about these things: what training is being done? What office practices are being changed? I’m sorry, but these are less sexy than asking about voting machines.
7/7 Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure states and locals very in how well they are prepared for 2018 & 2020. Some are over-confident. Obsessing with voting machines alone will fail to identify who these are.
