Thread by @EFF

A whopping 800,000 people registered to vote for National Voter Registration Day.

But Congress and state governments still have not taken the recommended measures to increase security in the midterm elections. <thread> eff.org/deeplinks/2018…

At this year’s @defcon, researchers evaluated a voting machine that’s used in 18 different states. They demonstrated how easy it is to gain admin access, which lets someone change settings—or even the ballot—in under two minutes. defcon.org/images/defcon-…

A Congressional working group concluded that election infrastructure is largely insecure across the country, with 42 states using machines susceptible to vote flipping, and at least ten states using machines that provide no paper record or receipt. documentcloud.org/documents/4379…

The National Academies of Sciences and Engineering has released a report recommending that “[a]ll local, state, and federal elections should be conducted using human-readable paper ballots by the 2020 presidential election.” nap.edu/catalog/25120/…

In order to know if a polling station or even state’s votes are accurate and there hasn’t been a security breach, states must check the vote. Risk limiting audits are the gold standard, but are only required in 3 states. eff.org/deeplinks/2016…

States also must work to shore up their election websites and state databases, especially now that it has been proven that Russian hackers stole voter information in one state’s system.
chicagotribune.com/news/local/pol…

There have been efforts over the past two years to increase funding for election security and even mandate paper ballots and risk limiting audits—but electronic voting machine manufacturers and Secretaries of States have pushed back. nytimes.com/2018/09/26/mag…

People have the ability to demand that local officials protect the vote and enact much-called-for security reform.

Voting may be a constitutional right, but it’s time for Congress and state governments to make it a funding necessity. eff.org/deeplinks/2018…