Illinois: State Elections Board: ‘We’re Under Constant Threat’ from Foreign Interference | Paris Schutz/WTTW
The 2020 election is just under a year away, and both federal and state election authorities say the threat of foreign interference is ramping up. Illinois was one of several states whose election infrastructure was attacked by Russians in 2016, and officials say they’ve made big changes to make sure it doesn’t happen again. But can voters be sure the new measures will work? The Illinois State Board of Elections says it has received $13.2 million in federal aid since 2016 to deal with foreign interference. As outlined in the Mueller report, Russian hackers successfully breached an Illinois voter database that included information such as names, addresses and voter registration status. The breach affected 76,000 Illinois voters, but the board says there is no evidence that hackers manipulated any of that information to try and change voter registration status and, ultimately, impact the outcome of the election. But they say it was a wakeup call.