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Do electronic voting systems continue to pose election-security risks?

Wednesday, October 21, 2020
By Eric Smith
YES

Cybersecurity expert J. Alex Halderman has found that the electronic voting systems many states and counties use are susceptible to hacking from outside actors. Entirely electronic systems that don't use paper ballots as a "physical fail-safe" against outside interference have no 100% reliable way of avoiding tampering.

Journalist Kim Zetter highlights the persistent vulnerabilities of electronic voting systems since their introduction in 2000, when computer scientists warned of software bugs and security vulnerabilities. Hackers can easily write code that causes machines to display one vote on screen while recording a different vote on their memory cards. Zetter recommends federal legislation that mandates "post-election risk-limiting audits."

The American Academy for the Advancement of Science warns Internet voting remains insecure, recommending paper ballots.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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