Friend,
In the Special Counsel’s report, he clearly stated that a foreign adversary interfered in our elections in 2016. In Florida in particular, Russia clearly sought to undermine our democracy by hacking into two of our counties’ voting systems.
I recently sat in on a briefing with the FBI where I learned the nature and extent of the Russians’ meddling. And one of the things that troubles me most is that it took so long for federal officials to notify state and local authorities that our elections had been tampered with.
Will you take my survey to let me know your thoughts on action needed to protect future elections from foreign meddling?
When federal officials determine unauthorized users gain access to an election system, local officials and the public have a right to know so they can respond. That’s why I’ve introduced the Achieving Lasting Electoral Reforms on Transparency and Security (or ALERTS) Act.
It says that federal officials are required to promptly alert the appropriate state and local officials and Members of Congress if they have credible evidence of an unauthorized intrusion into an election system and a reasonable basis to believe that voter information was affected.
But that’s not all we need to do. I’ve also championed bipartisan legislation called the Securing America’s Federal Elections (or SAFE) Act, which would require states to use voting machines that produce verifiable paper trails. If there’s any question about the outcome of an election, we need to have paper records of every vote cast.
The American people have a right to know with certainty that electoral outcomes are decided solely by American voters, and not by foreign interference. That’s not a matter of party -- it’s a matter of principle.
What do you think? Will you take my survey to share your thoughts on protecting our elections from foreign interference?
Thank you,
Stephanie
