National

2024 could turn out to be the year in which artificial intelligence upends the U.S. election, but at America’s largest cybersecurity conference, federal officials charged with protecting the vote said they are most concerned with a far more analog threat: physical violence directed at election administrators. While many election officials are concerned about issues of disinformation — both AI-generated and not — physical security threats on or around Election Day to polling places, ballot counting centers and locations where equipment is stored are top of mind. “That’s where we’ve concentrated a lot of our efforts this year,” Brandon Wales, executive director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, told reporters at the RSA Conference. U.S. election officials are already facing a tsunami of physical threats, harassment, doxing and swatting attacks — in which police are called to a person’s residence on phony pretenses — and the risk of violence is only exacerbated by persistent and false online narratives that American elections are in one way or another rigged, experts caution. Read Article

National: These federal grants can help ease multiplying election threats | Chris Teale/Route Fifty

A ransomware attack on Coffee County, Georgia's voter registration system highlighted the vulnerabilities faced by election offices ahead of the presidential election. Although the Georgia Registered Voter Information System remains uncompromised, the incident underscores the need for robust cybersecurity measures, especially as threats target more than just voting infrastructure. Reports from cybersecurity firms, such as Mandiant, stress the importance of hardening systems against attacks despite the chronic underfunding of election services. While some federal funds and grants are available, the high turnover of election officials hampers awareness and access to these resources. To address these challenges, election offices must be strategic in securing funding and support to enhance their cybersecurity and physical security capabilities. Read Article

National: Justice Department to seek tougher sentences for AI-fueled election crimes | Sean Lyngaas/CNN

Federal prosecutors will pursue tougher sentences in cases in which artificial intelligence is used to commit an election-related crime, including threatening violence against election workers and voter suppression, Deputy US Attorney General Lisa Monaco said Monday. The Justice Department policy change is an effort to keep pace with a chaotic information environment ahead of the 2024 presidential election, as AI tools have made it much easier to mimic politicians’ voices and likenesses to spread false information. The new policy applies to cases in which AI makes the election-related crime “more dangerous and more impactful,” Monaco said. Read Article

National: Lawmakers fret over who will report foreign election interference | Derek B. Johnson/CyberScoop

When the U.S. government has credible evidence of a foreign nation interfering in an American election, who is responsible for sounding the alarm and what processes are in place to ensure it’s done in a responsible, nonpartisan manner? That question was top of mind for Senators on both sides of the aisle at a Wednesday hearing, when they sharply questioned Biden administration officials about their plans for notifying the public about a foreign power meddling in U.S. politics. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., the ranking Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, noted that when a hurricane is headed toward the United States, the National Hurricane Center takes the lead to issue warnings “and people — Republicans, Democrats no matter who you’re going to vote for — are going to take the appropriate steps.” How that notification process works for foreign interference efforts is less clear, and the potential for political blowback in the heat of a national election is vast. Read Article

National: Lawmakers want EAC to develop guidance on AI’s risk to elections | Edward Graham/Nextgov/FCW

Bipartisan legislation introduced by a quartet of House lawmakers would push the nation’s top election administration agency to develop voluntary guidelines that address the potential impact of artificial intelligence technologies on the voting process. The bill would require that the Election Assistance Commission release public recommendations around the use of AI tools on the administration of elections. According to the proposal, the EAC’s voluntary guidelines should address “the risks and benefits” of AI on election administration; the cybersecurity risks of these technologies; how AI-generated and shared content can affect the sharing of accurate election information; and how AI-generated disinformation can undermine trust in the voting process. Read Article

National: Now armed with AI, America’s adversaries will try to influence election, security officials warn | David Klepper and Eric Tucker/Associated Press

America’s foreign adversaries will again seek to influence the upcoming U.S. elections, top security officials warned members of the Senate Wednesday, harnessing the latest innovations in artificial intelligence to spread online disinformation, mislead voters and undermine trust in democracy. But the U.S. has greatly improved its ability to safeguard election security and identify and combat foreign disinformation campaigns since 2016, when Russia sought to influence the election, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines testified to the Senate Intelligence Committee. Read Article

National: Homeland Security ramping up ‘with intensity’ to respond to election threats | Josh Meyer/USA Today

The Department of Homeland Security is preparing for a potentially unprecedented array of election threats, including meddling by foreign governments, bomb threats, intimidation at the polls and the intentional spreading of disinformation to confuse voters. "We are dealing with it with intensity," Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said. "The right to vote and the integrity of the right to vote − and therefore of the election itself − is a fundamental element of our democracy. “This is a nonpartisan effort,” he stressed. “And, in fact, all our efforts across this department are nonpartisan.” Read Article

National: A group of Republicans has united to defend the legitimacy of US elections and those who run them | Christina A. Cassidy/Associated Press

It was Election Day last November, and one of Georgia’s top election officials saw that reports of a voting machine problem in an eastern Pennsylvania county were gaining traction online. So Gabriel Sterling, a Republican who had defended the 2020 election in Georgia amid an onslaught of threats, posted a message to his nearly 71,000 followers on the social platform X explaining what had happened and saying that all votes would be counted correctly. He faced immediate criticism from one commenter about why he was weighing in on another state’s election while other responses reiterated false claims about widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Read Article

National: ‘Terrifying’: Democrats say they have plans to keep electors safe from political violence | Phillip M. Bailey and Erin Mansfield USA Today

During the 2020 electoral process, Democratic elector Khary Penebaker faced daunting security measures as he cast his ceremonial vote for Joe Biden in Wisconsin. Amid heightened concerns of political violence and intimidation, Penebaker, along with other electors, was compelled to assemble at an undisclosed location, escorted by law enforcement through tunnels to access a closed-off room in the statehouse. The experience left Penebaker, a Black Democrat who ran for Congress in 2016, deeply unsettled, evoking comparisons to the courage of civil rights activists. The safety of electors like Penebaker has become a focal point for Democrats, scholars, and election watchdogs, particularly following instances of violence during the electoral process, such as the events of January 6, 2021. As concerns persist about the security of electors, state Democratic officials have initiated discussions and plans to safeguard their safety in anticipation of the 2024 election. Read Article

National: CISA, FBI resuming talks with social media firms over disinformation removal, Senate Intel chair says | David DiMolfetta/Nextgov/FCW

Federal agencies have resumed discussions with social media companies regarding the removal of disinformation on their platforms ahead of the November presidential election, marking a significant shift after months of halted communications due to a pending First Amendment case in the Supreme Court. Senator Mark Warner revealed that talks resumed amidst the Supreme Court hearing arguments in Murthy v. Missouri, a case prompted by allegations of federal agencies pressuring platforms to remove content related to vaccine safety and the 2020 presidential election. The Supreme Court is anticipated to rule on whether agencies can engage with social media firms regarding potential disinformation. Warner highlighted concerns about election interference and emphasized the need for the Biden administration to take a stronger stance against nation-state entities attempting to meddle in the U.S. election process. Read Article

National: FBI warns that foreign adversaries could use AI to spread disinformation about US elections | Eric Tucker/Associated Press

The FBI is concerned that foreign adversaries could deploy artificial intelligence as a means to interfere in American elections and spread disinformation, a senior official said Thursday, describing the technology as an area “that’s probably going to see growth over the coming years.” The threat is more than theoretical given the prevalence of AI deepfakes and robocalls and the way such technology has already surfaced in politics. The official noted an episode in Slovakia early this year in which audio clips resembling the voice of the liberal party chief — purportedly capturing him talking about hiking beer prices and rigging the vote — were shared widely on social media just days before parliamentary elections. The clips were deepfakes. Read Article

Election officials beef up security as new survey shows nearly 4 in 10 grapple with threats and harassment | Fredreka Schouten/CNN

When officials in Durham, North Carolina, open their new $24 million elections operations center later this year, it will include a feature not in the original plan: a separate mail-room exhaust system to guard against dangerous particles spreading through the building. The design change came after a spate of suspicious letters – some laced with fentanyl – landed at election offices around the country last year, said Derek Bowens, who has served as Durham County’s elections director since 2017. The letters, which were sent to election offices from Georgia to Washington state, set off fresh security concerns for a workforce battered by unprecedented threats and harassment. Durham didn’t receive any of those letters, but “we were terrified” that the county – a Democratic bastion in a swing state – would be targeted, Bowens said. “There was mass concern.” Read Article

National: As Trump airs his election doubts, many supporters say they won’t accept a Biden win in 2024 | Alex Tabet, Jillian Frankel, Emma Barnett, Nnamdi Egwuonwu and Jake Traylor/NBC

More than six months out from the presidential election, many Republican voters harbor deep doubts not only about whether President Joe Biden is fit for a second term — but also about whether he can even win re-election fair and square. “I think that the powers that be on the Democratic side have figured out a way to circumvent democracy,” said Darlene Anastas, 69, of Middleborough, Massachusetts. Poll after poll has found that a large proportion of the Republican electorate believes the only reasons Joe Biden is president are voter fraud and Democratic dirty tricks, buying into former President Donald Trump’s baseless claims about the 2020 election. Trump continues to stoke those fires on the campaign trail. Read Article

National: RNC targets absentee ballots, voter rolls in 2024 to ‘protect’ vote | Erin Mansfield/USA Today

The Republican National Committee and its lawyers are going state to state seeking to influence what laws and procedures will govern the November election. The RNC, which has been overhauled with loyalists to former President Donald Trump, is reviving failed legal arguments from 2020 as it seeks to get involved in dozens of state and federal lawsuits. The cases are in all the major battleground states for 2024, but also in deep-red and deep-blue states. Some of the biggest ongoing cases target how absentee ballots are processed and who should be removed from voter rolls. If the cases are successful, fewer people will be allowed to vote in November, and fewer absentee ballots will be counted. Read Article

National: Inside the far-right plan to use civil rights law to disrupt the 2024 election | Sarah D. Wire and Mackenzie Mays/Los Angeles Times

A group called United Sovereign Americans is touring the U.S., spreading misinformation about election procedures and recruiting activists to challenge election results through lawsuits alleging civil rights violations. Led by Marly Hornik, the group aims to scrutinize voter rolls for errors and file lawsuits in multiple states, with the goal of preventing certification of election results unless substantial changes are made to election processes. Despite legal experts dismissing their arguments and concerns about the integrity of the electoral process, the group's strategy could potentially sow doubts about the 2024 presidential election's integrity if even one sympathetic judge rules in their favor. Read Article

National: A post falsely suggesting migrants illegally registered to vote spread to millions in four weeks | Nicole Acevedo/NBC

The rumor started as a post on X. The post published in early April misrepresented federal data from the Social Security Administration to falsely suggest that hundreds of thousands of migrants may have registered to vote in Pennsylvania, Arizona and Texas. One hour later, the tweet got the rocket fuel it needed to take off: X owner Elon Musk reposted it with the comment, “extremely concerning.” In less than four days, the false narrative was widely shared on X, Facebook and Instagram. Donald Trump and Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene soon joined in, respectively proclaiming, “What is going on???” and “Are migrants registering to vote using SSN?” By the end of the month, the original tweet and Musk’s had generated more than 125 million views. Read Article

National: Will hackers, trolls and AI deepfakes upset the 2024 election? | Jeffrey Fleishman/Los Angeles Times

In the analog days of the 1970s, long before hackers, trolls and edgelords, an audiocassette company came up with an advertising slogan that posed a trick question: “Is it live or is it Memorex?” The message toyed with reality, suggesting there was no difference in sound quality between a live performance and music recorded on tape. Fast forward to our age of metaverse lies and deceptions, and one might ask similar questions about what’s real and what’s not: Is President Biden on a robocall telling Democrats to not vote? Is Donald Trump chumming it up with Black men on a porch? Is the U.S. going to war with Russia? Fact and fiction appear interchangeable in an election year when AI-generated content is targeting voters in ways that were once unimaginable. Read Article

Pennsylvania: Election officials in the US are under threat. A key county just faced a major test ahead of November | Sam Levine/The Guardian

Jim Rose, the director of administrative services in Luzerne county in north-eastern Pennsylvania, had been listening to the radio all morning and had not heard “a single peep” about problems at the polls during Pennsylvania’s primary on Tuesday. When he ran into Emily Cook, the county’s acting director of elections, she wasn’t ready to celebrate. It was, after all, only mid-afternoon, and the polls would be open until 8pm. “If you say that, you have to go outside, spin around on your left foot – it has to be your left foot – and throw some salt,” she said. ... “I am very conscious of how important it is that I get this right, not just for the department or the county on the whole, but for my own job,” she said in her office. “It feels like a test and preparation for what comes in November.” Read Article

National: Local election workers fear threats to their safety as November nears. One group is trying to help | Christina A. Cassidy/Associated Press

The Committee for Safe and Secure Elections is spearheading efforts to train local election workers across the nation to respond effectively to threats and coordinate with law enforcement, particularly in the lead-up to another highly charged presidential election. Led by former clerk Tina Barton, who experienced threats firsthand after the 2020 election, the committee aims to address the alarming rise in harassment and security concerns among election officials since then. These training sessions, held recently in Traverse City and attended by law enforcement and election workers alike, focus on preparing officials for various scenarios, from physical security risks to harassment and intimidation tactics. Read Articles

National: Cash-strapped election offices have fewer resources after bans on private grants | Matt Vasilogambros/Stateline

In the past four years, 28 states, including Wisconsin, have banned or restricted local governments from using private donations for election offices, equipment, or hiring poll workers, with conservative lawmakers citing concerns about partisan influence from donors like Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan. Despite court rejections of these claims, the debate highlights broader concerns about insufficient local government funding for election offices, affecting tasks from Election Day operations to maintaining voter rolls and equipment. While some states allocate federal grants for election security, inconsistency in funding and reliance on volunteers or donations pose significant challenges. Efforts to improve funding, including a recent $55 million congressional allocation for elections, face obstacles in securing sustained federal support. Read Article

National: New federal grants aimed to support elections. Many voting officials didn’t see a dime | Miles Parks/NPR

Election officials across the U.S. agree that elections are severely underfunded, with outdated equipment and insufficient resources for basic functions like recounts in Kentucky. While the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) allocated a portion of a multibillion-dollar grant program to election security, issues arose in how the money was used. Some election officials reported that funds were either not spent on reinforcing voting infrastructure or were allocated hastily without proper consultation, leading to ineffective use. Challenges included a rushed timeline for grant applications and a lack of expertise in determining election security needs. Read Article

National: The fear of noncitizen voting is as baseless as it has been for 200 years | essica Huseman/Votebeat

President Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson recently advocated for a bill banning noncitizen voting, despite it being illegal and not a significant problem. The move, widely seen as an attempt to garner political support, echoes historical tactics of fear-mongering over noncitizen voting, dating back to the 1800s. Various instances throughout history illustrate how such rhetoric has been used to influence public policy and disenfranchise certain groups. Trump's persistent focus on this issue, despite lack of evidence, reflects a longstanding pattern of baseless claims. Read Article

National: A crush of lawsuits over voting in multiple states is creating a shadow war for the 2024 election | Christine Fernando/Associated Press

As Biden and Trump gear up for the upcoming election, the Republican National Committee (RNC), now reshaped under Trump's influence, is actively filing election-related lawsuits in nearly half of the states, targeting various aspects of voting and election administration. With internal changes and pressure from Trump, the RNC's legal maneuvers are expected to play a significant role in the lead-up to the November elections, aiding in campaign messaging, fundraising, and casting doubts on the validity of the election. Democrats and legal experts warn that these lawsuits could overwhelm election officials, undermine voter confidence, and pave the way for false narratives challenging the legitimacy of the 2024 election, potentially obstructing certification of results. Read Article

National: Trump campaign says it will deploy thousands of election workers to monitor poll sites | Alex Isenstadt/Politico

Former President Donald Trump's political operation has announced plans to deploy over 100,000 attorneys and volunteers across battleground states for the upcoming November election, aiming to monitor and potentially challenge vote counting. Described as the most extensive election integrity program in history, it will include training for poll watchers, workers, and lawyers. This initiative reflects Trump's persistent focus on election security, despite widespread conclusions that there was no significant fraud in the 2020 election. Trump's warnings of potential Democratic rigging in 2024 mirror his previous false claims about the 2020 election, which he unsuccessfully attempted to overturn. Read Article

National: Former U.S. election agency head Steven Frid got unauthorized pay increase | Jen Fifield/Votebeat

An investigation conducted by another agency's inspector general revealed that Steven Frid, the former executive director of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), received a significant pay raise without the knowledge of EAC commissioners. The report also found that Frid expensed Harvard University courses without approval and failed to properly disclose personal leave. EAC commissioners unanimously voted to terminate Frid's employment in December after learning of the investigation, marking the agency's third executive director in as many years. The investigation detailed Frid's actions, including obtaining an annual pay raise of $31,450 without approval, expensing leadership training courses at Harvard University without supervisor approval, and failing to report 96 hours of leave on his time-and-attendance records. Read Article

National: States Race To Counter AI Fakes Before the 2024 Election | Vera Bergengruen/Time

State officials across the U.S., prompted by concerns over the potential impact of AI-generated disinformation and deepfakes on the upcoming elections, have taken proactive measures to address the issue. Led by New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver's realization of the urgency at a conference, states are enacting laws requiring disclosure of AI use in political campaigns and criminalizing the intentional dissemination of misleading AI-generated content. These efforts, part of a broader trend, aim to balance First Amendment rights with safeguarding elections from malicious manipulation. Read Article

National: Election Data Is Vital to Voting Rights. So Why Is It So Hard to Track Down? | Dara Gold/Bolts

Voting rights lawyers like Michael Pernick from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund face significant hurdles due to the lack of a centralized database of precinct-level election returns in New York, making it difficult to analyze potential racial discrimination in local election rules. This absence forces practitioners to painstakingly collect data town by town, often facing resistance from local offices, hindering investigations and potentially impeding the enforcement of voting rights laws. While some states like Minnesota provide comprehensive precinct-level data, others present significant challenges, prompting initiatives like OpenElections and the MIT Election Lab to compile and standardize such information. Read Article

National: Push to hand-count ballots ramps up as election nears, fueled by outside aid | Rachel Leingang/Votebeat

Amidst claims of stolen elections and allegations of voting machine rigging, grassroots activists like Mark Cook are advocating for hand-counting ballots across the country, echoing sentiments from figures like Mike Lindell. Despite challenges and resistance from election experts, this push has gained traction in some rural and conservative-leaning areas, with counties in Missouri, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin opting for hand counts in either midterm or presidential primary elections. However, the process has proven to be time-consuming, costly, and prone to errors, with concerns raised about its impact on election accuracy and trust. Read Article

National: Noncitizen voting isn’t an issue in federal elections, regardless of conspiracy theories. Here’s why | Nicholas Riccardsi/Associated Press

Former President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson are reigniting claims about noncitizen voting in federal elections, with Johnson introducing a bill aimed at preventing noncitizens from voting. However, these claims have been debunked in the past, with no evidence of widespread noncitizen voting. Trump's previous commission on the matter disbanded without identifying any cases of noncitizen voting, and various states' examinations of their voter rolls have found very few instances. Despite this, Johnson plans to introduce legislation requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration, a move criticized for potentially disenfranchising eligible voters and risking erroneous exclusions. Read Article

National: Smartmatic settles lawsuit against One America News Network | Stephen Battaglio/Los Angeles Times