If the Russians show up again this election season, South Carolina wants to be ready. Earlier this month, election officials from all 46 counties sat down with federal officials from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to plan possible responses to election hacking attempts in the run-up to November’s election. It was the first time federal law enforcement agencies have led such a statewide training exercise, playing out different scenarios on how malicious actors could try to break into South Carolina’s election system ahead of November. … A lawsuit filed last month says the machines are so dysfunctional that they violate the right to vote for citizens.
Even without updating the voting systems, Homeland Security will be visiting each county election office to review how securely voting machines are housed. The machines aren’t networked and only could be tampered with manually.
Other election features in South Carolina are also a concern. McClatchy recently highlighted the vulnerability of overseas ballots to hacking when they are sent electronically.
South Carolina is one of 30 states that allows that option for overseas voters. Whitmire says officials are looking at ways security can be improved for those voters, but argues the Election Commission can’t refuse to accept electronic votes under state law.
Full Article: What is SC doing to keep 2018 election from being hacked? | The State.