Texas officials pushed back against a report that Russian-supported hackers compromised the state’s electoral data system prior to the 2016 election. NBC News, citing classified material, reported that state websites or voter registration systems in seven states — Texas, Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois and Wisconsin — were breached by Russian-backed covert operatives. With early voting underway for the March 6 primary, Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos said in a statement: “Our agency has seen no evidence that any voting or voter registration systems in Texas were compromised before the 2016 elections, contrary to the suggestions contained in the alleged classified intelligence assessment described, but not shown, to us by NBC News.”
Last September, the federal government told election officials in 21 states, including Texas, that hackers targeted their systems before the 2016 election. Texas officials said then they had found no evidence that Texas voter information had been compromised.
Texas Democrats, however, questioned the state’s response.
“The first step in solving a problem is admitting you have one,” Democratic Party primary Director Glen Maxey said Wednesday. “Texas Republicans need to acknowledge the fact that Russia interfered in our electoral process.”
Full Article: Texas officials deny election hack, Democrats raise questions.