National: Cyber chiefs confident 2024 election will be ‘most secure’ in history Maggie Miller/Politico

Top officials responsible for safeguarding U.S. elections against cyber threats, including Jen Easterly, head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Gen. Paul Nakasone, head of both U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, have expressed confidence that the upcoming elections will be the most secure to date. They cited the extensive work done by state and local election officials, the federal government, vendors, and the private sector since 2016 to enhance the security, resilience, and integrity of the American election system. Nakasone added that the partnerships and understanding of technologies are stronger, and he has not seen any indications of a major cyberattack against voting being planned for this year. Read Article

National: Pro-Trump network OAN execs may have ‘engaged in criminal activities’ while promoting 2020 election lies, Smartmatic alleges | Marshall Cohen/CNN

In the aftermath of the 2020 election, the president of the far-right network One America News (OAN) reportedly sent an email to former Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell containing a spreadsheet with passwords allegedly belonging to employees of the voting technology company Smartmatic. Smartmatic, currently suing OAN for defamation, revealed the existence of the spreadsheet, leading to concerns that OAN executives may have engaged in criminal activities by potentially violating state and federal laws regarding data privacy. The court records do not disclose how OAN obtained the spreadsheet or whether the passwords were authentic. Read Article

National: ‘Every noise makes you jumpy’: Election workers confront threats and abuse with resilience training | Rachel Leingang/The Guardian

Former elections clerk Tina Barton, who faced death threats and harassment during her role in the 2020 elections, now serves as a senior elections expert at The Elections Group and shares her experiences to provide resilience training for elections officials facing ongoing harassment. The threats, often based on misinformation and targeting women and people of color, contribute to stress, worry, and chaos in election offices. Barton’s training aims to help officials manage the daily stresses of their jobs and address issues like hypervigilance, fear, and post-traumatic stress. The mental wellness tools provided in these sessions seek to assist individuals in coping with the systemic problem of ongoing threats and harassment faced by election officials, which has led to a wave of officials quitting their jobs, leaving less experienced personnel in charge. Read Article

Arizona Republicans sue over new election rules, including handling of election results disputes | Jen Fifield/Votebeat

Arizona Republicans filed a lawsuit seeking to invalidate election rules set by Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat. The contested rules, part of the Elections Procedures Manual approved in December, include requirements for prompt certification of election results by county supervisors and the potential exclusion of votes from counties that fail to meet certification deadlines. The Republicans argue that the secretary of state lacks the authority to create rules regarding the finalization of election results and claim that Fontes’ manual aims to disenfranchise voters and circumvent state election laws. The lawsuit comes amid the 2024 election cycle, raising questions about its potential impact on ongoing electoral processes. Read Article

This Arizona ballot maker had robust security in place before 2020 elections. For 2024, it’s adding more | Sasha Hupka/The Arizona Republic

Phoenix-based company Runbeck Election Services, which prints voting materials for counties across the U.S., is enhancing its security measures ahead of the 2024 election cycle. The company, which already had robust cybersecurity measures, access-controlled facilities, and GPS-tracked trucks, is adding armed officers, additional cameras, and a designated area for election observers with a live video feed. These measures aim to address concerns stemming from false allegations of fraud and threats against election workers during recent elections. The company’s president, Jeff Ellington, highlighted the importance of ensuring employees’ safety and maintaining secure election processes. The move comes as election-related controversies and misinformation continue to contribute to heightened tensions in the political landscape. Read Article

Colorado secretary of state urges Supreme Court to keep Trump off the ballot | Lawrence Hurley/NBC

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold has urged the Supreme Court to affirm that the state can legally prevent former President Donald Trump from being on the Republican primary ballot due to his actions leading up to the January 6 Capitol attack. The case revolves around whether Trump “engaged in insurrection” under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which would disqualify him from serving as president. Griswold defended Colorado’s process for determining candidate eligibility and argued that the state should not be forced to include a candidate found to have violated his oath by engaging in insurrection. Read Article

Connecticut: Aging Equipment, Limited Funding a Challenge for Early Voting | Angela Carella/CT Examiner

Connecticut is introducing early in-person voting for the first time, creating challenges for managing voter traffic and security. Additionally, the state’s AccuVote ballot tabulators are no longer manufactured, making it difficult to find replacement parts when needed. The state approved $25 million for the purchase of new tabulators and other items, in October, a  request for proposals for new tabulators was issued and the process of evaluating vendor responses is underway. However, new tabulators will not be ready in time for the April 1 presidential preference primary, or for the Aug. 13 primaries and Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas has said it’s unlikely there will be new tabulators for the high-turnout Nov. 5 election. Read Article

Georgia voting machine trial closes with argument over election security | Mark Niesse/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The 17-day trial questioning the security of Georgia’s Dominion voting machines concluded with closing arguments, leaving U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg to decide whether the machines pose an unconstitutional threat to voting rights. The case, which could impact how in-person voters cast their ballots in the upcoming November 2024 election, focused on the potential vulnerability of the $107 million voting system purchased in 2019. Plaintiffs argued for a ban on touchscreens in favor of hand-marked paper ballots, citing concerns about cybersecurity threats and the reliability of the machines. Totenberg did not indicate when she would issue a ruling. Read Article

Georgia: ‘A recipe for violence’: Election officials on edge for ruling from federal judge | John Sakellariadis/Politico

Five years ago, U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg won plaudits from U.S. election officials for forcing Georgia to ditch its electronic voting machines because they were too susceptible to hacks. Now Totenberg is weighing a similar order against the state’s new machines — only this time, a slew of election officials are begging her not to do so. Current and former officials from both parties at the local, state and federal level argue that Georgia’s current voting machines are far less prone to sabotage than their predecessors — which didn’t produce any sort of paper record. But most of all, more than a dozen officials stressed their dread that ordering changes just months ahead of the 2024 presidential vote could undermine trust in the election, overwhelming local election officials and emboldening election deniers all in one breath. Read Article

Nevada Secretary of State defends Dominion voting machines | Mark Robison/Reno Gazette Journal

The Nevada Secretary of State has sent an email to county clerks and registrars in the state defending the state’s Dominion ImageCast X (ICX) voting machines after University of Michigan computer science professor Alex Halderman testified in a federal trial recently in Georgia about the vulnerability of those machines. Nevada uses the ICX as a direct recording electronic DRE system while Georgia uses them as ballot marking devices (BMDs). Nevada also uses a different voting system version. Previously they had been using a Nevada-specific version (DVS 5.12) and last year they upgraded to DVS 5.17, the EAC certified version Dominion developed after a 2021 security analysis co-authored by Halderman. The concern about the encoding of voter selections into QR code that has been an important issue in the Georgia tria is moot in Nevada since no Printed Vote Records are produced by the ICX when used as a DRE. Further arguments about physical and cyber security measures that would require “unlimited access to the voting machines” for the attacks assumes no insider threat. Read Article

Pennsylvania automatic voter registration boosts sign-ups, but not a political party, data shows | Marc Levy/Associated Press

New data from Pennsylvania’s automatic voter registration at driver’s license centers reveals a 45% increase in sign-ups compared to a similar period two years ago. The partisan mix of registrations under the new system shows that 35% opted for Republican, 31% for Democratic, and 34% for independent or a third party. The data challenges accusations by Donald Trump that Democrats would exploit the system. Pennsylvania’s new automatic voter registration system is currently facing a lawsuit from Republican lawmakers. Read Article

Wisconsin: Challenge to absentee ballot rules is a step closer to state Supreme Court | Scott Bauer/Associated Press

Democrats are appealing the dismissal of their lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of several voting rules in Wisconsin, including the ban on absentee ballot drop boxes, which was implemented in 2022 after criticism from former President Donald Trump. The appeal comes after a circuit judge ruled that the lawsuit did not meet the high burden required to declare the voting rules unconstitutional in every application. The lawsuit, filed by national Democratic firm the Elias Law Group, seeks to reinstate drop boxes and eliminate requirements such as a witness signing absentee ballots and correcting ballot problems by 8 p.m. on Election Day, arguing that absentee voting is a right protected by the Wisconsin Constitution. Read Article

Opinion: The 2024 Election Will Be Fair. People Still Won’t Believe It.  | Richard L. Hasen/Politico

Last election, I warned of an “election meltdown” and a country that was not prepared for a litany of ills — foreign interference, spikes in misinformation, attempts at election subversion and more. This time around, however, I have a different outlook: Those threats are still there but this time we are aware and we are better prepared. What we should be more worried about is that losers won’t accept the results as legitimate, a sentiment that exploded only after election day in 2020, when Trump’s refusal of an orderly transition of power led to a violent assault on the Capitol. In 2024, however, election denialism is at the forefront, before most voters have even cast their ballots. This supercharged distrust could lead to further violence and instability and help cement the kind of corrosive election denialism that does lasting damage to our democracy. Read Article

Georgia: Expert shows how to tamper with ballot marking device in security trial | Mark Niesse/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

In a federal courtroom, University of Michigan computer scientist Alex Halderman demonstrated how Georgia’s ballot marking devices could be manipulated in seconds. Halderman changed hypothetical referendum results and rigged a theoretical election between President George Washington and Benedict Arnold by altering the machine’s code. He used a fake voter card, a pen, or a USB device to print unlimited ballots. The presentation was part of an election security trial assessing Georgia’s voting system’s vulnerability to manipulation. Election officials countered, emphasizing real-world security and claiming no evidence of past hacks. Plaintiffs argue for paper ballots amid concerns about potential vulnerabilities. The trial will be decided by U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg. Read Article

New Hampshire robocall kicks off era of AI-enabled election disinformation  | Derek B. Johnson/CyberScoop

Kathy Sullivan, treasurer of a super PAC running a write-in campaign for President Joe Biden in the New Hampshire primary election, experienced what appears to be the first instance of AI-generated audio disinformation targeting American voters. A robocall impersonating Biden flooded New Hampshire voters, urging Democrats not to vote in the primary. The AI-generated call, sounding like Biden, claimed that voting in the primary only enables Republicans in their quest to elect Donald Trump and emphasized that voters’ choices matter in November, not in the primary. The call’s phone number appeared to belong to Sullivan, as the caller ID had spoofed her cell number. While the impact on voting behavior remains unclear, the incident highlights the potential use of AI in disinformation campaigns during the 2024 election, posing challenges for election officials to combat emerging threats effectively. Read Article

National: ‘Preposterous’: Federal judge decries efforts to downplay Jan. 6 violence, label perpetrators ‘hostages’ | Kyle Cheney/Politico

The longest-serving district judge on the federal bench in Washington, D.C., Royce Lamberth, warned about the ongoing danger posed by false rhetoric about the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, singling out former President Donald Trump and allies like Rep. Elise Stefanik for spreading misinformation. Lamberth, a Reagan appointee, expressed concern over attempts to rewrite history, downplaying the seriousness of the attack and characterizing defendants as “hostages.” He emphasized the danger of such destructive rhetoric and issued his comments in connection with the resentencing of Jan. 6 defendant James Little, who had appealed his earlier sentence. Lamberth criticized Little’s lack of remorse and sentenced him to an additional 60 days in jail, highlighting the importance of acknowledging right from wrong regarding the events of Jan. 6. Read Article

National: The head of the government’s election security agency was swatted in December | Kevin Collier and Michael Kosnar/NBC

The director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Jen Easterly, was the target of a swatting incident at the end of December, where false emergencies are reported to trigger an armed police response. The incident occurred amid a wave of swatting calls targeting judges and public officials. CISA has been under scrutiny from House Republicans for promoting information about voting processes. Easterly confirmed the incident, emphasizing the serious risk posed to individuals and law enforcement officers. Read Article

National: Elon Musk Is Spreading Election Misinformation, but X’s Fact Checkers Are Long Gone | Jim Rutenberg and Kate Conger/The New York Times

Elon Musk’s control over the X platform, formerly Twitter, has sparked concerns as he echoes false claims about the American voting system without fact-checking or corrective measures. Musk, who dismantled the platform’s fact-checking system, has been accused of spreading misinformation and undermining confidence in the electoral process. The Biden campaign criticized Musk for his irresponsible actions, highlighting the potential for his influence to reignite doubts about the election system, similar to the atmosphere leading up to the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. Musk’s approach, seen as a departure from perceived censorship on the old Twitter platform, is applauded by pro-Trump Republicans. Read Article

National: AI-Generated Fake News Is Coming to an Election Near You | Sander van der Linden/WIRED

As the use of generative AI becomes more prevalent, concerns are growing about the potential for AI-generated misinformation to impact elections. Researchers from the University of Cambridge Social Decision-Making Laboratory trained GPT-2, ChatGPT’s predecessor, on conspiracy theories and found that AI-generated headlines led a significant percentage of participants to believe false information. With the rise of deepfakes and AI-produced fake news, political campaigns may increasingly use these tools to manipulate public opinion. In a test using a deepfake video, researchers found that religious voters developed more negative attitudes toward a politician who appeared to offend their religious beliefs. As AI facilitates the automated generation of misleading news headlines, there are concerns about its potential impact on democracy, leading to calls for government intervention to restrict or ban the use of AI in political campaigns. Read Article

Arizona: Election distrust in Cochise County runs deep, and change is slow to come | Jen Fifield/Votebeat

More than a year after the midterm election, distrust in the electoral process persists in Cochise County. The region has been influenced by claims of election fraud, with former President Donald Trump and gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake making unproven allegations that resonated with voters. In this context, efforts to educate the public on how elections are run and rebuild trust face challenges. The county supervisors who attempted to hand-count ballots and block the certification of votes now face pending felony charges. County officials are grappling with the influence of external voices and trying to address concerns about election fairness amidst other pressing issues such as road conditions, water resources, and border crossings by undocumented immigrants. Read Article

California: Los Angeles County District Attorney to pay $5 million in civil rights case over bungled election conspiracy prosecution | James Queally/Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office will pay $5 million to settle a civil rights lawsuit filed by Eugene Yu, the CEO of Michigan software company Konnech. The lawsuit, brought against Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, alleged civil rights violations and negligence related to a bungled 2022 prosecution. Yu was indicted on charges of illegally storing L.A. County poll workers’ personal information overseas based largely on conspiracy theories and false claims about working for the Chinese government. The case fell apart less than six weeks later, with prosecutors admitting that True the Vote, the source of the inquiry, provided baseless tips. The settlement, approved by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, includes dropping charges against Yu and a joint petition for a finding of factual innocence. Read Article

Georgia: ‘State doesn’t understand the technology’: Plaintiffs rest their case | Timothy Pratt/Atlanta Civic Circle

A federal trial, six years in the making, has reached its midpoint as computer experts express concerns about cyber vulnerabilities in Georgia’s touchscreen voting machines. The case involves an election integrity nonprofit and Georgia voters against the Secretary of State’s office, claiming that the state’s computerized voting machines face an unacceptable risk of being hacked, infringing on voters’ constitutional rights. The plaintiffs argue for voters to mark paper ballots by hand, as opposed to using the current Dominion Voting Systems ballot marking devices. Read Article

Missouri secretary of state accused of withholding cybersecurity reviews of election authorities | Sophia Fox-Sowell/StateScoop

Missouri Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick has released an audit report accusing Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft of violating state law by refusing to provide cybersecurity reviews of Missouri’s 116 local election authorities. House bill 1878, passed in 2022, mandates cybersecurity reviews every two years, with results to be submitted to the state auditor’s office. Ashcroft’s office disputes the findings, citing concerns about revealing confidential information. The audit also criticizes Ashcroft’s decision to end Missouri’s participation in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), impacting the accuracy of voting rolls. Despite Ashcroft’s defense, the audit suggests a lack of evaluation before exiting ERIC, leading to less efficient voter roll maintenance. Read Article

Nevada Republicans can’t decide between a primary or a caucus – so they’re doing both | Joe Sommerlad/The Independent

Nevada Republicans are set to host both a caucus and a primary as part of their unique electoral system, driven by a 2021 bipartisan bill requiring political primaries if multiple candidates vie for a race. While Nevada Democrats have embraced this change, Nevada Republicans insist on maintaining their traditional caucus alongside the state-run primary. Despite attempts to challenge the primary requirement in court, the party succeeded in ensuring that delegates would only be awarded through the caucus, making the primary more of a symbolic exercise. Read Article

New Hampshire: Deepfake Audio of Biden Alarms Election Security Experts | Margi Murphy/Bloomberg

Disinformation experts are expressing concern over a doctored audio message of U.S. President Joe Biden circulating, urging voters in New Hampshire not to cast ballots in the Democratic primary. The manipulated message, featuring a voice edited to sound like Biden, falsely advises saving votes for the November election. Experts are particularly worried about audio deepfakes due to their ease of editing, affordability, and difficulty to trace. With the upcoming elections, there are fears that these fake audio messages, especially when combined with voter registration databases, could be potent tools to influence political outcomes. The incident confirms concerns that deepfakes might not only manipulate public opinion but also deter voters from participating. Read Article

Pennsylvania: Republican lawmakers challenge state, federal actions to boost voter registration | Marc Levy/Associated Press

A group of 24 conservative state lawmakers in Pennsylvania filed a federal lawsuit challenging three voting-related executive branch actions, including a 2021 executive order by President Joe Biden that aimed to boost voter registration. The lawsuit challenges the legality of Biden’s executive order, as well as two state-level actions – the introduction of automatic voter registration by Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and a 2018 state directive under then-Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. Read Article

Why certain Texas counties need more 2024 voting locations | Natalia Contreras/The Texas Tribune

Texas election officials, particularly in certain counties, are facing challenges meeting the requirements of a new Republican-backed election law ahead of the March 5 primary. This law mandates a significant increase in polling locations for counties using vote centers for countywide voting, posing financial and logistical issues. Some officials are concerned about the availability of funds to purchase additional equipment and pay rental fees for more locations, while others worry about finding enough election workers. In the most populous county, Harris County, the local Republican party is advocating for legislative changes due to unintended consequences, including the need for joint primaries. Read Article

Washington state braces for deepfakes ahead of 2024 elections | Dyer Oxley/KUOW

Washington state’s Secretary of State, Steve Hobbs, is warning voters to remain vigilant against artificial intelligence and deepfakes as the 2024 elections intensify. The caution follows recent robocalls in New Hampshire mimicking President Biden’s voice, urging voters to skip the primary. Hobbs, anticipating potential frauds as the state’s March 12 primary approaches, emphasizes the need for vigilance and skepticism, urging voters to verify information from trusted sources. Washington passed new election laws in 2023 addressing AI, deepfakes, and misinformation, making it one of the first states to prohibit the use of “synthetic media” in campaigns, with a requirement for reporting false or manipulated media usage. Read Article

Wisconsin: Ballot drop box disinformation and the fight over voting | Hannah Ritvo/PBS

After a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling to ban ballot drop boxes in the state, former President Donald Trump used social media to question past election results, claiming the decision includes the 2020 Presidential Election. The ruling, prompted by a lawsuit from the conservative law firm Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, declared that drop boxes are not allowed for use in elections as they are not defined in state law. Despite the decision not applying retroactively to prior elections where drop boxes were used, supporters of Trump who deny the 2020 election outcome have cited the ruling, contributing to disinformation about the results. Read Article

The federal agency dedicated to elections continues struggling with turnover | Jessica Huseman/Votebeat

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) has fired its executive director, Steven Frid, who held the position for less than a year, marking the agency’s third executive director in as many years. The EAC has also been without a permanent general counsel for nearly two years, with its chief information security officer temporarily filling in as executive director. The agency, responsible for crucial election guidance, faces challenges with staff turnover, and its commissioners are now tasked with filling open positions during the 2024 federal election year. High turnover, lack of staff satisfaction, and internal limitations on hiring qualified personnel have plagued the EAC, impacting its effectiveness in providing support to local election administrators. Reasd Article