Washington, D.C. – After 12 Russian intelligence officials were charged with interfering in the 2016 election and conspiring to steal state election data, Liz Kennedy, senior director of Democracy and Government Reform at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
This indictment is yet more proof that state election systems remain vulnerable to hacking by foreign governments. It is urgent that states act to improve election security and spend the funds that Congress recently allocated for this purpose. States should heed the recommendations in the Center for American Progress’ election security report and make the necessary upgrades to election systems and voting machines.
Even as President Trump meets with Russian President Putin, the U.S. intelligence community has issued strong warnings that Russia will continue to seek to subvert the integrity of America’s democracy. While the critical national security investigation continues into exactly who played what role in the attack on our democracy in 2016, we must take every step to protect the security of our election systems going into the 2018 midterm elections so that Americans can maintain their freedom to govern themselves through free, fair, accessible, and secure elections.
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For more information or to talk to an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected] or 202-478-6327.