Published at NextGov on December 28, 2018 by Shimrit Tzur-David
Now that several weeks have passed since the mid-term elections, it’s an opportune time to look back and reflect on existing vulnerabilities in the election process and how existing technology can guarantee secure and accurate elections in the future.
Russian Interference
Ever since the dramatic ascent of Donald Trump to the White House in 2017, the question of Moscow’s meddling in the election process has occupied the news. Evidence of a coordinated influence campaign emanating from Russia is substantial but a “smoking gun” implicating the Russian government in interference has yet to be found. The real question moving forward is not “who done it” but rather what other vulnerabilities in the U.S. electoral process are exposed, and what can we do to protect ourselves?
The truth is, the danger of trolling campaigns pales in comparison to other existent threats. In the era of digital infrastructure, there are much more direct ways to influence an election. There are two main avenues that hackers could take to hack an election.
Let’s Be Honest, Voting Machines Are Not THAT Secure …
The first is going right to the voting machines.
