Don’t let worries about election security keep you from going to the polls. The American voting system is in a better place than it has ever been, and added layers of protection ensure that votes can be cast and properly counted. What are citizens to do when they hear the constant drumbeat of elections under siege and the potential that election results could be changed by malicious actors? The answer: vote. Sitting out the election does nothing to promote election security. Voter turnout in midterm elections typically hovers around 40 percent of eligible voters, which is already too low. Better information about the strength and resiliency of the voting system should reassure worried voters. Let’s remind ourselves what really happened in 2016, because alarmist claims have swirled. Most important to remember is that there is no evidence any voting systems were compromised or that votes cast were changed by outside influence.
Yes, foreign actors launched misinformation campaigns, and those are real concerns. But that wasn’t the fault of election officials. Their job is to run a hardened election administration system, not police social media.
The major issue in 2016 was the threat to state voter registration systems — to databases of registered voters rather than vote casting or tabulation systems.
Here’s what we know. More than 20 states saw voter registration databases scanned. These scans were akin to those made every day of many public and private databases connected to the internet.
In only a small number of states were outside actors able to view and copy registration records. Even then, no outside actor changed any records in the registration database or compromised the system.
We need more security procedures, but to move forward, we also need to be clear-eyed about the history of election security. In 2016, no votes or registration records were altered.
Full Article: Vote. Otherwise, the Hackers Win.