WASHINGTON, D. C. – Attorney General Karl A. Racine and a bipartisan coalition of 21 attorneys general are urging congressional leaders to improve cybersecurity and protect the integrity of future U.S. elections. Federal investigations show Russian hackers targeted the American electoral system in 2016, stole the private information of hundreds of thousands of people, and infiltrated a company that supplies voting software across the nation.

In a July 23 letter to the House Homeland Security Committee and Senate Rules and Administration Committee, the coalition urged Congress to take three proactive steps to address election security concerns ahead of upcoming midterm elections:

• Pass bipartisan election security legislation: The “Secure Elections Act” (S. 2261), a bipartisan bill, is now before the Senate and can address some state concerns about election security. This legislation streamlines cybersecurity information-sharing between federal intelligence entities and state election agencies; provides security clearances to state election officials; and provides resources for states to upgrade election security. 
• Increase funding for state election security improvements: Many states lack the resources and tools they need to protect the polls during this year’s upcoming elections. Increasing federal funding for the U.S. Election Assistance Commission will not only allow states to upgrade election systems and protect voters’ personal data, but will also allow for a comprehensive security risk assessment.
• Support development of cybersecurity standards: For voting systems to prevent potential future cyberattacks, it is critical that there be a combined effort between governments and security experts to protect against the increased cyber threats posed by foreign entities seeking to weaken our institutions.

A copy of the coalition letter can be found at: https://oag.dc.gov/sites/default/files/2018-07/2018_07_23_ag_letter_re_election_security.pdf