Thread by @jojot_wilkie

On Election Day 2016, I was at the @NCGOP viewing party in downtown Raleigh. I was there "on assignment" during my first semester earning my master's in reporting at @UNCMJschool.

The #MuellerReport explains part of what I saw that night. 1/13

After it was clear that Trump won the presidency, all attention turned to the state race. It was too close to call. @DallasWoodhouse got on stage to update the audience. McCrory did not make an appearance. 2/13

Woodhouse said they were still waiting on results from #Durham, which had extended its polling hours due to glitches w/ the electronic polling books. @VRelection was the company providing the electronic poll books. newsobserver.com/news/local/cou… 3/13

Woodhouse also made statements that Durham had somehow "found" additional votes, clearly implying in tone (and clearly heard by the audience) that the #Durham votes and polling place extension were not legitimate. 4/13

The #MuellerReport stated that a private election vendor was breached by Russian hackers who installed malware on the company network. @VRelection confirmed they were the company. Durham was using their systems. Durham experienced significant delays. newsobserver.com/news/politics-… 5/13

So, #Russian #hackers target a private election vendor, @VRelection. That vendor provides services in CA, FL, IL, IN, NY, NC, VA, and WV. In #NC, majority-minority and heavily Democratic county experiences significant delays due to problems w/ @VRelection products. 6/13

#Republican controlled state board of elections extends #Durham polling hours, but considerably less than what is requested by local board. At about the same time, Wake Co. Sup. Crt Jdg Don Stephens denied a motion to extend polling hours to 9pm. 7/13

Judge Stephens noted Durham's historical struggle to carry out seamless elections. However, this was the first year (2016) Durham had used electronic poll books. The delay had nothing to do w/ historical failures. 8/13

Still, polls were extended and more votes out of #Durham were cast. @NCGOP worked hard to keep McCrory in office. They attempted to question the legitimacy of Dem votes out of Durham. They failed. Democratic candidate Roy Cooper became @NC_Governor. 9/13

In summary, in #Durham, #NC, #Russian hackers attacked @VRelection. Their system failures effectively disenfranchised minority and #Democratic voters to the benefit of Donal Trump and then-NC gov Pat McCrory, both hard right #Republicans. 10/13

Whether the hack caused the failures is unclear (AFIK). The poll book failures delayed votes and extended lines, a denial-of-service issue that decreased turnout, created long lines at the polling place, and likely decreased trust in the system. 11/13

@NCGOP reps, inclu. @DallasWoodhouse and then-gov @PatMcCroryNC then questioned the legitimacy of votes counted in #Durham, further seeding doubt in the election, thereby advancing the effectiveness of the #Russian attack. 12/13

The way @NCGOP handled the #Durham hacks on @VRelection likely increased partisanship and decreased trust in NC democracy among voters in both parties. Look for more of this in 2020. US intelligence anticipates many more cybersecurity attacks from Russ./China/Iran/N.Korea. 13/13

@ProfCAnderson I believe you were curious about how cyber threats to election systems can disproportionately target minority voters? Here's a case study. @SEGreenhalgh @MarilynRMarks1 @kiniry Do I have my history right? Interpretation too? @nicoleperlroth nytimes.com/2017/09/01/us/…

From NYT article: "On Election Day last year, a number of counties reported problems similar to those in Durham. In North Carolina, paper roll incidents occurred in the counties that are home to the state’s largest cities, including Raleigh, Winston-Salem, Fayetteville and..."

Charlotte. Three of Virginia’s most populous counties — Prince William, Loudoun, and Henrico — as well as Fulton County, Georgia, which includes Atlanta, and Maricopa County, Arizona, which includes Phoenix, also reported difficulties. All were attributed to software glitches."

Don't Dems typically live in the cities? Am I crazy or does that look like a trend?