U.S. elections are safer from hacking than they were two years ago, but the threat of foreign meddling hasn’t been stamped out, lawmakers said. “People are much more aware of the problem and taking steps to protect themselves” from hacking before the November elections, Sen. Amy Klobuchar(D-Minn.) said in a phone interview. “We’ve reached a new era” with lawmakers of both parties concerned about Russia’s interference in 2016 and are “trying to solve the problem going forward,” she said. Klobuchar spoke after the Senate Rules and Administration Committee took testimony from experts on how to safeguard U.S. elections. Congress provided $380 million for grants in response to Department of Homeland Security revelations that Russia targeted election systems in at least 21 states for possible interference in 2016. The DHS found no evidence of actual ballot tampering, but said steps are needed to secure future elections.
… After the hearing, Mark Warner (D-Va.), a member of the panel and the ranking member of the Intelligence Committee, told reporters he’s concerned about President Donald Trump’s planned meeting with President Vladimir Putin while Russia continues to threaten elections.
The 2016 interference represented the “tip of the spear” of possible future activities aimed at undermining democracy, Warner said during the hearing.
The Senate Intelligence Committee has been probing Russia’s meddling, including whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia. Trump has denied any collusion and at times has questioned whether Russia interfered in the election at all.
Full Article: Elections Seen Safer From Hacking, but Meddling Threat Lingers | Bloomberg Government.