Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Administrator Jen Easterly speaks at a conference in Washington, D.C., February 16, 2023. Patrick Semanski/AP Hide Caption
Toggle caption Patrick Semanski/AP
Amid concerns that outside interference could influence the outcome of this year’s presidential election, the head of the country’s cybersecurity agency said election infrastructure is now more secure than ever.
Jen Easterly, director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said in an interview with Weekend Edition that state and local election officials across the country must maintain both the physical security and cybersecurity of polling places to maintain election integrity. He said he has made significant improvements to strengthen the system. .
CISA was created in response to Russian attempts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election to work with state and local officials to ensure voting machines were not vulnerable to hacking.
“Based on all the work we have done together since 2016, I can confidently say that our election infrastructure is more secure than ever before,” Easterly said. “While there are cyber threats and there are physical threats to election officials, our election infrastructure is secure and our election community is at a point where we are ready for that moment on November 5th.”
Her confidence in the integrity of the election comes as intelligence reports that foreign adversaries, primarily Russia, Iran and China, are stepping up efforts to undermine voter confidence in the democratic process, sway voters and stoke partisan divisions. This comes in response to warnings from authorities.
Most Americans are concerned about voter fraud in this year’s general election, fueled by election misinformation and distrust of free and fair elections, according to a recent NPR/PBS News/Marist poll. . Republicans, who represent a large portion of concerned voters, are inspired by former President Donald Trump’s continued false claims that voter fraud was rampant and the reason for his loss in the 2020 election. leading the trend.
Widespread voter fraud is rare, and numerous audits and investigations have confirmed the results of elections four years ago. Still, election officials across the country are busy debunking voter fraud conspiracy theories.
Some election officials have received death threats in the face of declining public confidence in their work.
Pushing false claims of election fraud is “essentially doing the enemy’s job for them,” Easterly said. “And it is taking a huge toll on hundreds of thousands of election officials across the country, as it leads to threats of violence, creates real mistrust, and stokes partisan discord. That’s what the enemy wants.”
He said federal agencies are working with local officials to install safety measures at election sites, including panic buttons and bulletproof glass.
Easterly said it’s important for Americans to be patient as they await the official results of the Nov. 5 election.
“We know this election will likely be close, and the election doesn’t end when the votes are counted,” she said. “It could take days or weeks to actually fully count, audit and certify the votes.”
“In that realm of uncertainty, foreign adversaries will do everything in their power to influence the American people and undermine our belief in the legitimacy of the process,” she added.
Martin Patience and Shannon Rose produced and edited this interview for broadcast.