When a suspicious video of ballots being ripped up in Pennsylvania surfaced last October, federal agencies swiftly responded, labeling it as Russian disinformation. On Election Day in November, bomb threats to polling places in various states caused minimal disruptions to voting, a scenario covered by the nation’s cybersecurity agency in its outreach to state and local officials.
The future of election security assistance is now uncertain due to the Trump administration's downsizing and disbanding of federal agencies. Efforts to improve election security and monitor foreign influence have been impacted, potentially leaving gaps for adversaries to exploit in future major elections.
The disbanding of an FBI task force focused on investigating foreign influence operations and significant cuts at the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have raised concerns about the nation's ability to protect against interference from countries like Russia, China, and Iran.
State and local governments manage elections in the U.S., with federal support playing a crucial role in recent years to help them safeguard against evolving threats, coordinate on security, and expose foreign influence campaigns aimed at undermining voter confidence.
The changes have raised alarms among experts and lawmakers, with concerns about the impact on election security efforts. The Trump administration's actions have signaled a shift in priorities, with potential consequences for safeguarding U.S. elections against foreign interference.
While the Justice Department's plans regarding espionage-related crimes related to election interference remain unclear, the dismantling of dedicated task forces has raised concerns about the continuity of critical work in this area.
Amid the uncertainty at the federal level, state officials are exploring options to bolster election security programs, emphasizing the importance of maintaining robust defenses against threats to the electoral process.
As the landscape of election security evolves, stakeholders at various levels of government are navigating challenges to ensure the integrity of the electoral process and protect against foreign influence.
