Thread by @ericgeller

Georgia's voting security commission is meeting right now before issuing recommendations for the state's new voting equipment.

But in today's @MorningCybersec, experts told me that the vendor proposals GA has received are full of problems.

politico.com/newsletters/mo…

The vast majority of public comments at this commission meeting have been passionate pleas for paper-based voting systems.

One county election official argued for electronic voting, but cited only minor logistical problems with paper that can be solved. No mention of security.

Meanwhile, Brian Kemp, who's moving from secretary of state (top election official) to governor, has named the former top lobbyist for giant voting vendor ES&S as his new deputy chief of staff.

But surely that won't affect how the state treats ES&S.

ajc.com/blog/politics/…

At GA commission mtg, lone cyber expert proposes amendment to recs adding language endorsing NIST standards.

Chair, unfamiliar with NIST, asks: "Have they ever done anything controversial?"

[laughter]

"I'm just trying to figure out who I'm fixing to endorse. It sounds legit."

(The amendment passes. They are still tweaking the language of the draft recommendations, which AFAIK are not public yet.)

The commission's lone cyber expert, Dr. Wenke Lee, has proposed almost all of the amendments to the recommendations so far, and the commission has rejected most of them.

Lee proposes adding language to the recs noting that cyber experts and the public overwhelming support paper ballots (not BMDs).

Chair proposes instead adding Lee's text as his personal view at the end of the document, significantly watering down its effect.

Lawyer for commission agrees w/ this suggestion, saying it lets Lee say what he wants to say without getting bogged down in detailed edits.

Lee isn't having it. "I strongly object to his characterization of what I want to do," he says of the lawyer.

Sorry, the lawyer is Ryan Germany, general counsel for the Georgia Secretary of State. He is not the commission's lawyer. The chair was referring to him as "counsel."

Lee's point is that support for paper ballots is widespread, not just his pet position, and should be reflected as such in the commission's recommendations to the state legislature.

The commission votes 8-5 not to adopt Lee's language about the expert consensus on paper ballots.

Lee offers another amendment — this one making it clear that only some commission members recommend using BMDs (current language makes it sound unanimous) — and this amendment fails too.

The past hour in a nutshell: "In the opinion of the chair, the nays have it. Next suggestion, Doctor Lee."

This commission was created b/c GA's voting machines are so insecure that even the state govt could no longer ignore the problem.

But it's rejecting almost every suggestion from the only member with actual cybersecurity expertise.

Microcosm of election security in America.

The federal government can do a lot to improve election security, but it's choosing to defer to the states on a lot of the work, even though it clearly has power under Article 1 Section 4 Clause 1.

So it's up to the states, where cybersecurity fluency is even more lacking.

The commission has just approved the amended recommendations. Three commission members dissented, including Lee.