Waiting is agony on election nights for voters eager to see who won, and now people in Wake and a few other counties who are used to speedy reporting of local results are going to have to sit longer in suspense. The State Board of Elections told Wake, Harnett and three small elections offices in western North Carolina to stop using modems to transmit vote totals from their tabulators into the state system after the polls close. In an a atmosphere of heightened election security, modems have been identified as potential hacker targets.
… “Our top priorities at the State Board are ensuring eligible voters can vote and doing everything in our power to safeguard election results from external threats,” Gannon said. “We appreciate the patience of voters and candidates on election night. However, most counties have demonstrated that they can report results in a timely fashion on election night without the use of modems.”
On Tuesday and from now on, Wake will be doing what most other counties do — report results after the voting machines are transported from polling places to the elections hub.
Full Article: Elections security | As a guard against hackers, Wake County will stop using modems to transmit election results | News & Observer.