National

The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) is striving for unity and bipartisanship as they navigate the complexities surrounding the 2024 elections. Despite external challenges like misinformation and threats, the organization aims to maintain a calm and collaborative atmosphere, emphasizing areas of agreement rather than unnecessary disputes. Leaders Scott Schwab and Steve Simon are working to keep NASS cohesive, recognizing the importance of presenting a united front to bolster public confidence in the electoral process. While concerns about disinformation, declining confidence, and physical security persist, efforts are underway to address these challenges and ensure a smooth electoral process. Read Article

National: Election officials contend with AI, bomb threats, and suspicious mail | Carrie Levine/Votebeat

Election officials, often overlooked in emergency preparedness discussions, are emerging as crucial figures in crisis management due to their comprehensive contingency planning. Facing a spectrum of threats from natural disasters to man-made emergencies like bomb threats or drug exposure, they are implementing innovative measures such as distributing emergency kits containing medical supplies and conducting tabletop exercises to simulate responses to various scenarios. While past experiences inform their preparedness efforts, they recognize the evolving nature of threats, exemplified by the shift from cybersecurity concerns to artificial intelligence risks, Read Article

National: AI deepfakes come of age as billions prepare to vote in a bumper year of elections | Jonathan Yerushalmy/The Guardian

AI-generated deepfake calls, including a fake one purportedly from Joe Biden urging voters to delay their vote, have sparked concerns about the potential for AI to disrupt elections. Governments, tech companies, and civil society groups are grappling with how to regulate AI-created content, especially as trust in politicians and institutions is already low. While measures like the U.S. executive order requiring AI developers to share safety test results are in place, some argue that more proactive regulation is needed, particularly given the vulnerability of digital media to exploitation. Read Article

National: Election Deniers Seek to Rewrite the Law | Nick Corasaniti/The New York Times

Despite the debunking of conspiracy theories surrounding the 2020 election, falsehoods persist and influence legislation across the United States. In Georgia, a bill mandates the online posting of high-resolution digital images of scanned paper ballots for 24 months, catering to conspiracy theorists’ demands. Over 70 bills in 25 states draw from election disinformation, addressing issues like ballot security, voting by undocumented citizens, and fraudulent absentee ballots. Despite lack of evidence, bills targeting voting machines and requiring proof of citizenship for voting are gaining traction, reflecting a broader acceptance of baseless claims among Republicans. Read Article

National: Mike Lindell must pay man $5M in ‘Prove Mike Wrong’ challenge, judge says | Praveena Somasundaram/The Washington Post

Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow and a vocal supporter of Donald Trump, offered a $5 million reward to disprove his claim of voter fraud in the 2020 election. A federal judge has ruled that Lindell must pay the award to Robert Zeidman, a computer forensics expert who demonstrated that the data Lindell provided was unrelated to the election. Zeidman, who participated in Lindell’s challenge out of curiosity, found that the data did not prove election interference and subsequently filed for arbitration when Lindell’s company refused to pay the reward. Despite Lindell’s potential appeal, Zeidman hopes the ruling will clarify that the data was not evidence of election fraud. Read Article

Verified Voting: Know Your Source: 2024 Election Information in the Generative AI Era

Primaries, caucuses, conventions, and oh so many campaign ads—the big election year is finally here. This year, though, voters are encountering something that sets this election cycle apart from years past: the rise of generative artificial intelligence. The field of AI broadly as an academic discipline is decades old, and today many people interact with forms of AI on a daily basis. Non-generative AI is already used in limited ways with heavy human oversight for election administration, such as helping officials answer voter questions, and it’s possible that AI—if deployed responsibly—could continue to help resource-strapped election offices in the future. However, the release of online tools like ChatGPT and DALL-E, which fall into a narrower category known as generative AI, is sparking debate among developers and lawmakers about how to regulate a rapidly evolving branch of AI technology. Read Article

National: Threats To U.S. Elections Are Creating A New Kind Of National Security Challenge | Loren Thompson/Forbes

The Cold War era primarily focused on military challenges for national security, but today, threats extend to non-military domains like pandemics and climate change. Yet, the gravest emergent peril to American democracy lies in foreign and domestic attempts to undermine the election process. Efforts to compromise elections, whether through direct interference or disinformation campaigns, imperil the foundation of democracy. Recent elections have seen a surge in such activities, from Russian interference in 2016 to domestic challenges in 2020, eroding public trust in the electoral system. Foreign actors continue to attempt to influence U.S. elections through various means, necessitating improved cybersecurity and resource allocation to bolster the electoral infrastructure at federal, state, and local levels, Read Article

National: Federal law enforcement and cybersecurity officials deliver stark warnings to state election officials ahead of November | Matt Vasilogambros/Stateline

Federal law enforcement and cybersecurity authorities are cautioning state election administrators about imminent threats as the November presidential election approaches. Both familiar and new cyberattacks pose risks to voter databases through phishing or ransomware, while disinformation campaigns, propelled by advancements in artificial intelligence, aim to undermine confidence in election integrity. The FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency stress the heightened threat environment, urging preparedness and vigilance among state officials. Recent incidents, including bomb threats and cyberattacks, underscore the urgency of safeguarding election systems and personnel. Read Article

National: Election Denial Can’t Overcome Election Certification Protections | Lauren Miller/Brennan Center for Justice

The term “election certification” has gained unprecedented prominence following the tumultuous 2020 election and subsequent false claims of voter fraud, culminating in the January 6 Capitol insurrection. Despite post-January 6 reforms aimed at safeguarding the Electoral College vote-counting process, attacks on certification have persisted at the local and state levels, exemplified by Cochise County, Arizona’s board of supervisors’ refusal to certify election results. Such refusals, rooted in election denialism, jeopardize the voting rights of constituents and undermine trust in the electoral process. Drawing parallels to historical instances of certification crises, a recent study illuminates the necessity of robust certification frameworks and offers insights to mitigate future attacks, emphasizing the imperative of upholding election integrity in the face of mounting challenges. Read Article

National: Election officials go on offense to prevent disruptions of 2024 vote | Yvonne Wingett Sanchez/The Washington Post

Election officials nationwide, including Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, are preparing for potential disruptions and threats during the upcoming presidential election, implementing measures such as active-shooter drills, distributing safety kits to election offices, and increasing coordination with law enforcement. With concerns about misinformation and threats to election integrity persisting, officials are taking proactive steps to educate voters, debunk false information, and protect election workers. These efforts reflect a broader trend of heightened preparedness in response to challenges posed by conspiracy theories, political unrest, and attempts to undermine trust in the electoral process, particularly in battleground states like Arizona that faced intense scrutiny and threats during the previous election cycle. Read Article

National: Gaps in AI robocall ban boost pressure on Congress, election officials | Julia Shapero/The Hill

The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) recent ban on AI-generated voices in robocalls under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act marks a crucial but limited step in addressing deceptive AI-generated content, leaving concerns about unregulated AI use in political campaigns. While the ban aims to protect consumers from scams and frauds, it overlooks AI-generated images and videos increasingly utilized in campaigns, prompting calls for the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to fill regulatory gaps. Although the FEC is considering clarifying its rules against fraudulent misrepresentation in campaigns, progress has been slow, prompting advocacy for congressional action and clearer language to prohibit deceptive AI use. Read Article

National: Researchers Set Out to Tackle Voting Challenges of Military Members | Joseph Clark/DOD News

The prototype of a deployable voting machine developed by VotingWorks as part of a research project funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency was unveiled last week during the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors conference in Washington, D.C. The prototype combines internet voting with a physical ballot for auditing purposes. Unlike other internet voting projects, the physical ballot is printed by the voter and is in their hands before transmission, enhancing security. The system uses the military’s Common Access Card aids in remote authentication. While the motivation for the project is laudable, concerns arise regarding the control over the physical ballot’s return and potential discrepancies between digital and physical ballots. A legal mechanism to resolve such discrepancies would need to be established in each state to conform to state election code. There are also numerous logistical challenges in maintaining self-serve kiosks, ranging from security issues to IT troubleshooting. Read Article

National: County election officials call for more funding, better security ahead of 2024 elections | Justin Papp/Roll Call

At the National Association of Counties (NACo) conference, local officials from across the country convened to address the mounting crisis faced by election workers due to threats and harassment, underscoring the potential threat to the integrity of forthcoming elections. Among the speakers was Bill Gates, a member of Maricopa County’s Board of Supervisors, who shared his firsthand encounters with threats in Arizona, emphasizing the imperative of prioritizing the physical security of election workers. President Joe Biden echoed these concerns, expressing gratitude for the courage of election workers and calling for a shift in the prevailing attitudes towards election participation. Read Article

National: CISA unveils election resource page for officials and workers | David DiMolfetta/Nextgov

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) launched the #Protect2024 webpage, offering election security resources to state and local governments and election workers amid heightened concerns over potential cyber threats and disinformation campaigns in the upcoming 2024 election. The initiative aims to address fears of foreign interference, domestic distrust following claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election, and security vulnerabilities in electoral systems. The site provides guides on cybersecurity measures like multi-factor authentication and physical security assessments for election infrastructure, while urging participation in the Election Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center. Read Article

National: Multiple threats to election systems prompt US cybersecurity agency to boost cooperation with states | Christina A. Cassidy/Associated Press

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) launched a program aimed at enhancing election security, particularly as state and local officials face escalating cybersecurity threats and election misinformation. With concerns over potential cyberattacks by foreign entities and recent incidents like AI-generated robocalls in New Hampshire and a cyberattack in Georgia, the program seeks to provide support and reassurance to election officials. The initiative involves 10 new hires with extensive election experience who will work closely with state election offices across the country, offering tailored assistance to address their unique security needs. State election officials welcomed the additional support, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and partnership with CISA to safeguard the integrity of the election process. Read Article

National: Threats against election workers spiked after 2020, fueling concerns about recruiting, retaining key workers | Bart Jansen/USA Today

After the 2020 election, threats against election workers surged, with cases like a Texas man threatening an Arizona county election official and her children or a New Hampshire woman threatening a Michigan county election official and her daughter. Despite increased security measures, the threats, fueled by false claims of widespread fraud, continue to worry state and local election officials. A Brennan Center for Justice survey in March 2022 revealed that three out of four election officials believe threats have increased, with one in six having been directly threatened. This harassment threatens recruitment and retention of election workers, as over 20% will serve in their first presidential election in 2024, and an average of two election officials per day have left their jobs since 2020. Read Article

National: Costs for Replacing Voting Equipment in 2024 | Brennan Center for Justice

When we first reviewed the status of voting equipment nearly a decade ago, we found that almost a quarter of all Election Day voters in 2016 would cast their votes on machines that did not produce a paper backup of their vote. Election experts consider a paper backup to be a critical security measure to ensure that ballots are counted as the voter intended. By 2024, that number has dropped dramatically, with only three states likely to still use paperless voting equipment in 2024. Indeed, we estimate that in the upcoming presidential election, nearly 99 percent of all registered voters will live in jurisdictions where they can cast a ballot with a paper record of the vote, including 100 percent of voters who will cast ballots in battleground states. Read Article

National: Deepfakes, dollars and ‘deep state’ fears: Inside the minds of election officials heading into 2024 | Derek B. Johnson/CyberScoop

American election administrators are facing significant challenges as they prepare for the 2024 elections, three years after the storming of the U.S. Capitol by a mob that believed in widespread voter fraud. Issues include emerging technologies fueling disinformation, limited resources, foreign interference, and widespread distrust from voters. Election officials, gathered at a conference hosted by the Election Assistance Commission, expressed anxiety about the upcoming year. The lack of federal funding for election security and administration, coupled with the threat of AI-generated disinformation, adds to their concerns. Officials are also addressing the hostile environment created by voters who believe in election fraud, with some facing threats, harassment, and violence. Read Article

National: AI technology sparks new worries, but poses familiar challenges to elections | Jessica Huseman/Votebeat

The recent emergence of AI-generated threats, like a robocall impersonating President Biden urging Democrats not to vote, has sparked concerns about AI’s potential impact on elections. However, a recent gathering of scholars, election officials, and journalists in New York, organized by Julia Angwin and Alondra Nelson, provided insights into AI’s capabilities and limitations. Participants tested AI language models on election-related prompts and found them lacking in accuracy, indicating that AI is not yet advanced enough to provide reliable election information. Despite these limitations, the event highlighted the importance of collaboration between election officials and AI experts to address emerging threats effectively. Read Article

National: Domestic Disruptions Are Equal Risk to Foreign Interference in 2024 Election, Experts Say | Carl Smith/Governing

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warns of new domestic threats affecting the 2024 election, anticipating potential violence and foreign interference targeting election infrastructure, processes, and personnel. While concerns about foreign interference persist, the emergence of domestic actors exacerbating distrust in electoral systems is noted. A recent webinar led by the Safeguarding Democracy Project at UCLA Law discussed lessons from 2020 and anticipated challenges in social media, artificial intelligence, and foreign interference. Factors such as changes in social media usage, Supreme Court cases on social media regulation, and advances in artificial intelligence pose novel challenges. Read Article

National: Bipartisan report seeks ways to counter extreme polarization that has created distrust in elections | Gary Fields/Associated Press

A bipartisan report released by The Carter Center and the Baker Institute for Public Policy highlights concerns about the loss of faith in election results in the U.S., attributed to extreme partisanship and a complex, decentralized voting system. The report emphasizes the need for greater transparency and steps to simplify voting processes. It outlines 10 principles aimed at balancing equal access to the polls with ensuring the integrity of election outcomes, including clear election laws, secure voter registration, regular audits, and transparency in vote counting. Read Article

National: Voting Is Bewildering This Primary Season. That Worries Experts. | Maggie Astor/The New York Times

The 2024 election season is marked by confusing and fragmented primary schedules, creating challenges for voters and potentially impacting turnout. New Hampshire’s primary was boycotted by President Biden after the state altered the Democratic Party’s schedule, leading to disarray among voters. The upcoming primaries in South Carolina and Nevada further complicate the process, with different dates for Democratic and Republican voters, and conflicting options for candidates like Nikki Haley and Donald Trump. The complex and disjointed primary schedules may disrupt voting habits, reduce participation, and fuel distrust in elections, potentially affecting not only the presidential nominees but also long-term voting behavior. Read Article

National: “Terrifying”: Expert outlines “endless” ways AI could “further fracture” elections and our democracy | Areeba Shah/Salon

Misinformation and disinformation, already significant threats to elections, are becoming more challenging with the rise of AI-generated content. The impact of AI on elections was demonstrated when a doctored audio message of President Joe Biden discouraged New Hampshire residents from voting. AI tools can create convincing narratives that spread false information rapidly, amplifying concerns about election integrity. Read Article

National: Republican lawsuits challenge mail ballot deadlines. Could they upend voting across the country? | Christine Fernando, Emily Wagster Pettus and Jack Duira/Associated Press

Republicans are challenging extended mail ballot deadlines in Mississippi through a lawsuit that could have broader implications for mail voting across the nation. The legal maneuver follows a similar lawsuit filed last year in North Dakota. The lawsuits argue that deadlines for receiving mailed ballots that extend past Election Day violate federal law. Mississippi and North Dakota are among several states that accept late-arriving mailed ballots as long as they are postmarked on or before Election Day. Read Article

National: The new U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence is giving new life to old conspiracy theories | Jessica Huseman/Votebeat

The nonprofit Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), previously involved in the “Zuckerbucks” controversy during the 2020 election, is facing renewed criticism from right-wing activists for its new program, the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence. The program, involving 15 counties sharing best practices in election administration, has been targeted by right-wing media outlets. Articles accuse participating counties, such as Boone County in Missouri, of joining a “liberal dark money-linked election organization” using taxpayer money. Despite the negative attention, participating counties, including Boone County and Coconino County, Arizona, remain committed to the program, emphasizing its value for professional development in election administration. Read Article

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