DHS designates election systems as 'critical infrastructure'

[milestogo]

Source: The Hill

The Obama administration on Friday afternoon announced that it has designated the country’s election infrastructure as ‘critical,’ a move that brings added federal protections to voting systems. “Given the vital role elections play in this country, it is clear that certain systems and assets of election infrastructure meet the definition of critical infrastructure, in fact and in law,” Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson said in a statement.

The administration has been weighing the move for some time. The announcement coincides with a report from the Intelligence Community detailing its assessment that Russia undertook a widespread influence and cyber campaign targeted at helping Donald Trump win the White House.

The Intelligence Community said Friday that no voting machines were tampered with during the 2016 election — but the breadth of the Russian cyber activity throughout the campaign raised the specter that the election infrastructure is vulnerable to digital intruders. The IC did find that Russian intruders breached elements of multiple state and local electoral boards.

The new designation will cover storage facilities, polling places, and centralized vote tabulations locations used to support the election process, as well as information and communications technology like voter registration databases, voting machines and other systems used to manage the election process and report results.

Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/313132-dhs-designates-election-systems-as-critical-infrastructure

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How long till Trump undoes it?

[HoneyBadger]

1. This is good

Actually it is is great, I expect there to be a lot of safeguards in place by 2020 to prove that the 2020 vote is without fraud of any kind. The only way to do that is with more electronics and multi factor authentication. it would be an appropriate goal for Obama to focus on going forward.

[Turbineguy]

2. Safeguards?

We have republicans controlling things. To them safeguards are no minority voters, no women voters, and unmarked ballots that they can fill in.

[HoneyBadger]

5. When you vote, it needs to be immediately logged in multiple places simultanously

and verified by you electronically on the spot.

[milestogo]

3. I truly believe that there has been election fraud on the Republican side

for quite some time. I remember hearing when Kerry lost Ohio in 2004 that there are 11 times more regulations regarding the operation of casino machines than there are regarding voting machines. We have allowed them to steal the country right out from under our noses.

[LisaM]

4. It's good, but I note that they've "been weighing this for some time".

Damn it, why didn't they do something before this election? I don't care if it is seen as a political move (and ensuring safe elections shouldn't be, anyway, but the way Republicans treat the sanctity of the right to vote is a whole other topic). The results of this election may seriously compromise the safety of our country, our democracy, and our allies. It's not something to dither about.

[byronius]

6. I love and respect Barack Obama, but eight years ago this would have mattered.

Democracy works when it works. According to Democracy, we have a Democratic President, Senate, and House.

According to It (what we actually have), we kinda live in Hell now.

[milestogo]

9. But 8 years ago we didn't have proof of a foreign country trying to hack our election.

[Dustlawyer]

12. No, but we had proof of electronic tampering that swung the swing state

of Ohio from Kerry to Bush. Bush/Rove's IT guy was connected to the company in TN., and died in a mysterious small plane crash just days before he was to give his deposition!

Neither Party has wanted the protections until now, wonder why?

[milestogo]

13. I just don't think our Dem legislators were paying attention

as amazing as that seems. Or they are all more afraid of being called a sore loser than of disappointing us.

[byronius]

14. I agree.

It just wasn't at the top of the agenda.

Hindsight. The man couldn't fix effing everything.

[Sunlei]

21. Republican legislators benefited from the hacks.That's why they let Americas democracy be harmed.

For the past 8 years Republicans spent more time on the presidents birth certificate then the entire American election system security.

[Gymbo]

7. Isn't this being a day late and a dollar short?

We had our election fooled with and an agency that has 240,000 employees and a hundred billion dollar budget didn't see it coming. Their designation is meaningless as far as I am concerned.

[Abu Pepe]

11. Thid is about the voting machines themselves. nt

[elmac]

8. Lets call it super duper critical infrastructure

its all just feel good shit, it won't change a thing as long as big money pollutes the process. Anyway, it too late.

[GliderGuider]

10. DHS needs to declare the election invalid, and order a do-over. nt

[bluedigger]

15. I'd just as soon not have them taking over right now.

Considering there's no constitutional basis for such a move, and the reluctance people have to giving up power once they have it and all.

[GliderGuider]

18. So you get Trump and a gutted electoral system.

Kind of a no-win situation, isn't it? Especially when Trump and his Russian control may have that same reluctance to give up power once they have it.

[riversedge]

16. good.

[hedda_foil]

17. Thank Dog. It's damn well about time.

A few of us here in '04 - '05 were trying to get attention to the fact that foreign governments and "actors" could hack or re-route incoming vote tallies to change results of elections. The greater danger was thought to be from the inside, which has usually been the case, but in this case, the massive purging of voter rolls plus Putin's "gamesmanship" to swing the election to the Tweetler, created the perfect storm that makes that horrible little man the first American dictator.

[GReedDiamond]

19. Too little, too late...oh well...la dee dah...nt

[0rganism]

20. guess they're here to shut the barn door now?

too bad all the horses are gone, but hey, at least we know the hinges work

[PotatoChip]

22. I agree that there is a problem, but don't trust the DHS with this kind of power.

Because at some point, DHS' ultimate authority over this matter may someday come from some kind of lunatic, idiot, or outright tyrant with an agenda.

I do think that there are many other things that can, and should be done, tho.

[JudyM]

23. Still, some review and protection is better than none! We're starting from horrible.

[diane in sf]

24. The Republicans are the major problem, but going after Pooty and foreign intervention is a good

strategy that few could openly argue with.