Op-ED: Election officials have plenty to learn from hackers
“Every year, DEFCON convenes thousands of hackers who attempt to breach the security of important technologies in an effort to expose vulnerabilities. For the past two years, this has included voting machines in a room dubbed the “Voting Village.” Rather than watch from the sidelines, or read about the findings in the news, I wanted to see for myself. So, I went to DEFCON. I listened, I observed and I had the opportunity to address attendees. “
Election hackers return to DEF CON as states look to Congress to fund solution
“The hacker conference DEF CON launched its second annual election hacking extravaganza on Friday after last year’s conference led cybersecurity enthusiasts to discover several security flaws in election equipment and are poised to do the same thing again this year. The big picture: One secretary of state argued at the event that the problem may be less about rediscovering how unsecure machines are, and more about getting the funding to do anything about it. What they’re saying: “”We spend $700 billion for defense,”” California Secretary of State Alex Padilla told Axios. “”Last week, the White House said that election security was a national security issue. For less than 1 tenth of 1%, Congress could make a world of difference.”””
What do states need to secure upcoming elections?
The country’s top intelligence and national security officials gave stark warnings Thursday on Russia’s ongoing efforts to meddle in November’s elections. Agency heads acknowledged the threat, while touting the Trump administration’s stepped-up election security initiatives. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla tells Judy Woodruff that states need more resources to stay ahead of the threat.
California secretary of state urges resistance to census citizenship question
“SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s top elections official urged residents Tuesday to formally oppose a Trump administration plan that would ask whether a person is a U.S. citizen on the 2020 census. Secretary of State Alex Padilla and advocacy groups for immigrant, Muslim and other communities warn a citizenship question will discourage immigrants from participating, giving California an under-count in the decennial recording of each state’s population. The numbers determine each state’s representation in Congress and federal funding.”
California 2018 Midterm Primary Turnout Highest in 2 Decades
“SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s June primary saw the highest percentage of voter turnout in a midterm primary election since 1998. More than 37 percent of registered voters cast ballots in the primary. That’s up more than 12 percent from the previous midterm primary in 2014, when turnout hit a record low. The June turnout was closer to levels in the 2010 and 2006 primaries, when 33 percent of registered voters participated.
The Cybersecurity 202: Here’s an early look at how states are spending federal election security cash
“Nearly four months have passed since Congress set aside $380 million for states to upgrade their election systems, and we’re just now seeing concrete details about how states plan to spend that money. California will immediately make more than $3 million available to county officials to help them protect voter rolls from cyberthreats and improve accessibility at polling places, according to figures provided to The Cybersecurity 202. And Hawaii will spend more than $400,000 ahead of the November midterms to upgrade computers, hire staff and conduct cybersecurity training, the secretary of state’s office says. “