Report says states need more money to secure elections

States are in need of further funding from the federal government to fully secure elections, a report published Thursday found, citing six states as examples.

The report was compiled by the Brennan Center for Justice, the R Street Institute, the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute for Cyber Law, Policy and Security, and the Alliance for Securing Democracy. It spotlights Alabama, Arizona, Illinois, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania.

“Elections are the pillar of American democracy, and, as we saw in 2016 and 2018, foreign governments will continue to target them,” the authors wrote in the report. “States cannot counter these adversaries alone, nor should they have to. But at a time when free and fair elections are increasingly under attack, they can, with additional federal funding, safeguard them.”

Four of the states reported that future federal funds are needed to replace “legacy” or older voting equipment that have cyber vulnerabilities, while several other states cited the need for funding to train election officials in cybersecurity.

Pennsylvania specifically reported the need for regular county cybersecurity assessments of election systems, while in Oklahoma, the authors pointed to the need for funding to conduct post-election audits, which ensure that the voting tally is correct.

The report noted that “it is clear that the other 44 states and the District of Columbia have similar unfunded needs.”