The House of Representatives passed an election security bill Thursday that is designed to prohibit cyberinterference through the forms of paper ballot voting, postelection audit, and replacing voting equipment. . The Securing America’s Federal Elections (SAFE) Act was Democrat-backed, spearheaded by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Cali.), and passed with only one Republican vote from Republican, Rep. Brain Mast (R-Fla.). The vote passed 225-184. According to The Washington Post, the bill would authorize $600 million for the Election Assistance Commission, which would be put toward the new rules requiring the use of paper ballots, updating equipment, and keeping the voting machines from connecting to the internet. In addition, the voting machines may not be made outside of the United States. This would be done by November 2020. The link for this article located at Security Today is no longer available. . The VOTE Act, designed to safeguard against digital meddling in polls, ensures election integrity via electronic ballots paired with comprehensive checks.. Election Security, Cyber Interference, Voting Equipment, SAFE Act, Legislative Action. . Brittany Day
While not specifically related to "Linux Security" I came across this news late last week and would like to share it here. I am amazed -- and appalled -- that this story is not getting more (any) national coverage: According to the indictment, these alleged criminal actions affected the outcome of federal, local, and state primary and general elections in 2002, 2004, and 2006. You read that right: this is exactly the type of voting fraud that many of the experts, such as Bruce Schneier, have been talking about for years. It's no longer theory, it's practical and has actually affected the outcome of elections . With that being said, where is the national outrage? Sure it was only state- and local-level elections in Kentucky, but now that we see vulnerabilities in these electronic voting machines being used in real life, how do we know for sure it's not affecting us in our state?. The link for this article located at LEX18 is no longer available. . This piece examines the Virginia incident uncovering significant concerns regarding the integrity of digital ballots and its consequences.. Voting Fraud, Election Security, Electronic Threats, Political Integrity, Voting Systems. . Brittany Day
Electronic voting machines will be vulnerable to fraud this election season unless countermeasures are taken, according to a report issued last week by the New York University School of Law. E-voting devices, such as touch-screen or optical scan systems, are becoming more prevalent nationwide, and most of them are vulnerable to external attack, according to the report compiled by the school's Brennan Center for Justice. . he report was prepared over an 18-month period by computer scientists and voting machine experts working on a task force set up by the Brennan Center to examine voting system security. Larry Norden, chairman of the task force and an attorney at the Brennan Center, said that over the past several years, half of all manual voting systems in the U.S. have been replaced with electronic devices. Elections officials cite the need to meet the requirements of various federal laws and the need for improved accuracy in installing the systems. However, Norden said, "we've not necessarily adapted our [security] procedures to that new technology." The report cites some 120 potential threats to e-voting systems and notes that most states have no system in place to detect malicious software attacks. The link for this article located at ComputerWorld is no longer available. . Digital ballot systems encounter risks of manipulation during this electoral period, necessitating immediate protective strategies and safeguards.. Electronic Voting,Election Security,Voting Systems,Fraud Risks,Security Measures. . Brittany Day
As the nation's election officials struggle with problematic electronic voting machines, a new ballot-marking system initially designed for disabled voters could help solve a crucial problem--the lack of an auditable paper trail. . . .. Unveiled Wednesday by Vogue Election Products and Services, the AutoMARK ballot-marking system features touch-screen voting that operates in tandem with optical scanners. "We're actually getting a lot of interest to use the AutoMARK for all voters and not just for disabled people," said sales manager Rob Resuali in an interview. The system has been perfected in the firm's research unit, but it won't be ready in time for use in the November national elections. Resuali said the AutoMARK will be tested in the field in November in Maricopa County, Arizona, where it will run in parallel with existing election equipment. The AutoMARK has also been successfully tested by the Michigan Commission for The Blind, he added. Resuali said the AutoMARK terminal has been designed to meet the requirements established by the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002. The legislation was established after the voting fiascoes of the 2000 election. Since then, voting-machine manufacturers have struggled to perfect voting machines and bring them up to meet the HAVE requirements. One particularly onerous and heretofore unsolvable problem has been the inability of most voting machines to provide for reliable audit trails, required in elections when recounts are called for. The link for this article located at W. David Gardner is no longer available. . Unveiled Wednesday by Vogue Election Products and Services, the AutoMARK ballot-marking system featu. nation's, election, officials, struggle, problematic, electronic, voting, machines, ballo. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
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