HOUSE REPORT BACKS REMOTE VOTING
A new report prepared by staff on the Democratic-led House Administration Committee has concluded that technology exists for members of Congress to securely vote remotely during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The report was released Wednesday as COVID-19 cases continue to surge across the country and after dozens of members of Congress have tested positive for the virus since March.
“This staff report concludes that operable and secure technology exists that would permit the House to conduct remote voting, and that such a tool could be developed to further establish the House’s flexibility and resiliency to operate during the pandemic,” the staff members wrote in the report’s executive summary.
Staff members for the committee, which is chaired by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), pointed to the need to work remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that more than 75 members of Congress had either been diagnosed with the disease or been exposed to someone with the virus.
The authors acknowledged that certain security criteria would have to be met to ensure safe remote voting. These included ensuring the security of remote networks, issuing “dedicated voting devices” to each member of Congress to only be used to cast votes, publicizing votes immediately after they are cast so members can check there was no interference, and regular checks of the remote voting system for cyber vulnerabilities.
Committee staff noted they were consulting with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on which vendors could provide the necessary remote voting technology, but that “the range of products available today further supports the general conclusion that remote voting is technologically feasible.”
Both the House and Senate conducted remote operations for several months earlier this year when the COVID-19 virus began to spread across the United States, though lawmakers in both chambers have shown up on Capitol Hill in recent months for hearings and votes.
