The Russia connectionSenate Intel Committee: Initial election security recommendations for 2018 election cycle

Senator Richard Burr (R-North Carolina), Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Senator Mark Warner (D-Virginia), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, in advance of yesterday’s press conference with Committee members, made available the Committee’s initial recommendations on election security after investigating Russian attempts to target election infrastructure during the 2016 U.S. elections.

The Committee will hold an open hearing today, Wednesday, 21 March 2018, on the threats to election infrastructure. The hearing will cover Russian attempted attacks on state election infrastructure in 2016, DHS and FBI efforts to improve election security, and the view from the states on their cybersecurity posture.

The Committee’s initial recommendations (also see here):

Russian targeting of election infrastructure during the 2016 election
Summary of draft Committee recommendations
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has examined evidence of Russian attempts to target election infrastructure during the 2016 U.S. elections. 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. 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.

The Committee recommends the following steps to better defend against a hostile nation-state who may seek to undermine our democracy:

1. Reinforce states’ primacy in running elections

— States should remain firmly in the lead on running elections, and the Federal government should ensure they receive the necessary resources and information.