The Russia connectionLawmakers from states targeted by Russian hackers urge action to protect U.S. elections

Published 22 December 2017

Democracy Reform Task Force Chair Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Maryland) the other day, along with members of Congress from 18 of the 21 states targeted by Russian hackers in 2016, called on House Speaker Paul Ryan to take immediate action to protect state voting systems from cyberattacks and to bolster state election infrastructure.

Democracy Reform Task Force Chair Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Maryland) the other day, along with members of Congress from 18 of the 21 states targeted by Russian hackers in 2016, called on House Speaker Paul Ryan to take immediate action to protect state voting systems from cyberattacks and to bolster state election infrastructure.

In a letter, the members asked Speaker Ryan to request a briefing from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) about Russian cyberattacks on state election systems in 2016. The letter also urged Speaker Ryan to direct all relevant House committees to investigate the attacks and to support bipartisan legislation to strengthen the security of state election systems around the country.

“When a sovereign nation attempts to meddle in our elections, it is an attack on our country,” the Members wrote. “The attacks in 2016 were not a one-off occurrence. In March 2017, then-FBI Director James Comey testified before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence that: ‘[T]hey’ll be back. They’ll be back in 2020. They may be back in 2018.’ … The threat remains, and Congress must act.”

Maryland was among the twenty-one states whose election systems were targeted by Russian hackers in 2016. To date, the Republican-led Congress has not held any hearings or opened any investigations into the Russian cyberattacks. It has also failed to take up any legislation to help improve the security and integrity of state voting systems.