The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released six recommendations Tuesday to prevent meddling in future elections by foreign actors.
“The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has examined evidence of Russian attempts to target election infrastructure during the 2016 U.S. elections,” a statement accompanying the recommendations reads. “The Committee has reviewed the steps state and local election officials take to ensure the integrity of our elections and agrees that U.S. election infrastructure is fundamentally resilient.”
Chairman Richard Burr noted that “The Department of Homeland Security, the Election Assistance Commission, state and local governments, and other groups have already taken beneficial steps toward addressing the vulnerabilities exposed during the 2016 election cycle, including some of the measures listed below, but more needs to be done.”
Burr told reporters Tuesday that intelligence agencies identified Russian attempts to influence the 2016 election in 21 different states.
Sen Richard Burr R-NC: Russia attempted to infiltrate election systems in 21 states in 2016
— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) March 20, 2018
Four of the committee’s recommendations involve building a “stronger defense” for election systems. Those principles include alerting possible foreign actors that the United States views election meddling as an “attack” and will respond in kind, improving the way in which intelligence agencies share threats of attack with local, state and federal governments, boosting the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity capabilities and pressuring states to upgrade outdated voting systems.
The two other recommendations involve the federal government providing states both financial and legislative support in running elections.
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