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More to the Real Story --Democrats in the Senate Take the Lead
Rewind to 2018-2019: U.S. Senators Raise Concerns Over Cyber Security in Election Equipment and Voting Machines
The Quantico Group
Aug 16, 2024
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Since the 2020 elections, concerns over cyber security, election equipment, voting machines, paper ballots, and audits has emerged as a stronghold of top priority among conservative constituents, volunteers, and activists.
However, in preceding years, these same exact concerns were raised extensively by a democrat lead caucus of U.S. Senators who maintained some support among republican Senators and Congressmen, though were shutdown repeatedly by Senator Mitch McConnell and former Trump White House staff. (See “Election Security…”, Parts I, II, III).
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On multiple occasions, U.S. Senators raised public concerns and reached out directly to executives for the major election equipment providers, Dominion, ES&S, and Hart InterCivic.
Some of these Senators represent constituencies who lead the tech industry with intensive federal government partnerships, including U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts (Boston / Cambridge / MIT). However, while Dominion, ES&S, and Hart InterCivic are three (3) top companies, there are at least a dozen more election technology firms providing equipment in all fifty (50) states, whether federally certified by U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), or not. (See “Election Technology: EAC Certified & Non-Certified Voting Systems, and ISO”).
The partisan lines up to 2020 were based on Russia and foreign hacking threat, as threats were confirmed by former DNI Director Dan Coats, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and the Trump Administration head of Homeland Security. However, there are countless more nation state and non-state hacking actors in the world who also pose threats to our electoral systems and personal data.
Today, our personal data remains under siege by cyber threats. The cyber security crisis is immediate, preventative and protective solutions are long-awaited, and there is no more time to waste.
In the past six (6) years, meaningful corrective legislation has been introduced at least four (4) times, but has been blocked in the U.S. Senate, and there is no comparable word in the U.S. House. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was a former co-sponsor, Speaker Mike Johnson was an Election Integrity Caucus member, and VP Kamala Harris was also a former co-sponsor when she was in the Senate.
There’s no excuses left. Congress needs to bring the legislation back to the floor for emergency session - with more urgency for our counties and states in our U.S. Homeland, then was employed for foreign aid.
But most likely, just like with immediate relief from the vaccine and mask mandates after two (2) years in Spring 2022, members of Congress needs to hear directly from their constituents, to get past the inexcusable establishment stonewalling.
The United States is the beacon of liberty and freedom in the world. The world cannot afford for our light to go out.
Hackers may have stolen the Social Security numbers of every American from National Public Data, around 2.9 billion records - August 14, 2024.
“Security experts are alerting the public to a potential breach of a background check site, which may have led to the exposure of billions of Social Security and address records, potentially affecting every individual in the United States…The breach reportedly affects not only U.S. residents but also individuals in the United Kingdom and Canada. The alleged hack involves 2.9 billion files, said to include personal information from all three countries.”
Klobuchar, Shaheen Seek Answers from Election Equipment Vendors to Ensure Security of Voting Machines
March 7, 2018
WASHINGTON- U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) sent a letter to the three largest election equipment vendors- Election Systems & Software, LLC; Dominion Voting Systems, Inc.; and Hart InterCivic, Inc. - inquiring about the security of their voting machines and whether their companies have been asked to share the source code or other sensitive or proprietary details associated with their voting machines with Russian entities.
"Foreign access to critical source code information and sensitive data continues to be an often overlooked vulnerability. Further, if such vulnerabilities are not quickly examined and mitigated, future elections will also remain vulnerable to attack,” the senators wrote. “The 2018 election season is upon us. Primaries have already begun, and time is of the essence to ensure any security vulnerabilities are addressed before the 2018 and 2020 elections."
Ranking Members Klobuchar, Warner, Reed, and Peters Press Election Equipment Manufacturers on Security
March 27, 2019
Intelligence Agencies have confirmed that our election systems are a target for foreign adversaries, yet election vendors continue to sell equipment with known vulnerabilities.
The Ranking Members of the Senate Rules, Intelligence, Armed Services, and Homeland Security Committees are requesting information about the security of voting systems.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee with oversight jurisdiction over federal elections, sent a letter to the country’s three largest election system vendors with questions to help inform the best way to move forward to strengthen the security of our voting machines. In the U.S., the three largest election equipment vendors—Election Systems & Software, LLC; Dominion Voting Systems, Inc.; and Hart InterCivic, Inc.—provide the voting machines and software used by ninety-two percent of the eligible voting population.
However, voting and cybersecurity experts have begun to call attention to the lack of competition in the election vendor marketplace and the need for scrutiny by regulators as these vendors continue to produce poor technology, like machines that lack paper ballots or auditability.
Klobuchar was joined on the letter by Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.
“The integrity of our elections remains under serious threat. Our nation’s intelligence agencies continue to raise the alarm that foreign adversaries are actively trying to undermine our system of democracy, and will target the 2020 elections as they did the 2016 and 2018 elections,” the senators wrote. “The integrity of our elections is directly tied to the machines we vote on – the products that you make. Despite shouldering such a massive responsibility, there has been a lack of meaningful innovation in the election vendor industry and our democracy is paying the price.”
On Senate Floor, Klobuchar Presses for Action on Election Security Legislation and Passage of the Honest Ads Act
October 22, 2019
"...Our military and intelligence officials from both Democratic and Republican administrations, as well as Special Counsel Mueller, made clear and confirmed over and over again that Russia launched sophisticated and targeted cyber attacks that were authorized by President Putin.
This includes former Director Coats, President Trump’s former intelligence head; Director Wray, the head of the FBI; and the head of Homeland Security. One by one, officials in the Trump administration have confirmed that this happened. What exactly did Russia do? They conducted research and reconnaissance against election networks in every single State."
"We used to think it was just 21 States, but this year, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security under the Trump administration issued a report that confirmed that all 50 States were targeted. Russia was successful in hacking into databases in Illinois.
The Chicago board of elections reported that names, addresses, birth dates, and other sensitive information on thousands of registered voters were exposed. Russia launched cyber attacks against U.S. companies that made the software we use to vote, and they tried to hack into the email of local officials who have elections in their purview. Investigations are ongoing, but we know Russia hacked into election systems in the Presiding Officer’s home."
"Now we need commonsense solutions to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
This week, a number of us are coming to the floor to urge the Republican leader to bring election security legislation to a vote. That must happen, but much more must happen as well...I would like to take a moment to describe why it is imperative that we update our election infrastructure.
Right now, the majority of States rely on electronic voting systems that are at least 10 years old. In 2020, voters in eight States will cast their ballots on machines with no paper trail, so there will be no reliable record to go back and audit the election results. So if something goes wrong, if they hack in, there will be no paper ballots to back up what actually happened. Problems for that State or that county? Yes. ..Sixteen States have no statewide audit requirement to confirm the results of the election."
"These statistics are alarming because experts agree that paper ballots and audits are the baseline of what we need to secure our election system. FBI Director Wray recently testified in the Senate. I asked him whether he thinks having things like paper ballots makes sense in the event that Russia— or any other foreign country, for that matter—decides to go at us again. He said, yes, that would be a good thing. Maybe we should think of listening to the head of the FBI and figure out what we can do to make this better.
Even the President has expressed his support for paper ballots. But I think we need more than words; I think we need action. We need this body to say to those States: It is time to get your act together now and get those backup paper ballots."
Warren, Klobuchar, Wyden, and Pocan Investigate Vulnerabilities and Shortcomings of Election Technology Industry with Ties to Private Equity
Three private equity-owned election technology vendors serve 90% of eligible voters but fail to sufficiently innovate, improve, and protect deteriorating voting systems; Election security experts have noted for years that our nation's voting systems and election infrastructure are under serious threat
December 10, 2019
"Election security experts have noted for years that our nation's election systems and infrastructure are under serious threat, but voting machines reportedly continue to fail and breakdown across the country, as vendors fail to innovate, improve, and protect voting systems, putting U.S. elections at avoidable and increased risk."
"The three vendors -- Election Systems & Software, Dominion Voting Systems, and Hart InterCivic -- collectively distribute voting machines and software that facilitate voting for over 90% of all eligible voters in the United States. Private equity firms reportedly own or control each of these vendors, which "have long skimped on security in favor of convenience," leaving voting systems across the country "prone to security problems.""
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