WASHINGTON, DC – In an effort to help secure Rhode Island’s election systems and safeguard American democracy at the local, state, and national levels, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today announced a total of $3 million to help Rhode Island secure election equipment, defend voting systems from cyberattacks, and bolster election security.  The funds were provided in the Fiscal Year 2018 Omnibus Appropriations bill – as part of a $380 million appropriation for the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), a federal agency that directs grants to states and provides election guidance to state and local officials.   

Priority uses for these funds include numerous initiatives to make elections more secure, including:

  • Purchasing voting systems that have verified paper records of the votes;
  • Implementing a post-election audit system that provides a high level of confidence in the accuracy of the final vote tally;
  • Upgrading election-related computer systems to address cyber vulnerabilities identified through U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or similar scans or assessments of existing election systems;
  • Purchasing cyber security training for state and local election officials; and
  • Implementing established cybersecurity best practices for election systems and other activities that will improve the security of elections for federal office.

“Election security must be a national priority.  State and local governments administer elections, but they shouldn’t have to fend for themselves against foreign threats.  The federal government needs to be a reliable partner when it comes to election security.  These funds will provide federal support to strengthen our U.S. election systems from hostile attacks,” said Reed, an ex officio member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee who supported inclusion of these funds in the 2018 Omnibus spending bill.  “Congress must work together on a bipartisan basis to defend our democracy against future threats.”

In February, Reed joined colleagues on a letter to Director of National Intelligence Coats and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nelson asking them and their departments to work with others in the intelligence community to immediately inform election officials and relevant Congressional committees about current threats to the nation’s election system.  The senators emphasized that with the 2018 elections approaching, time is of the essence if the U.S. is to prevent and stymie further Russian attempts to undermine U.S. democracy. 

Reed is also a strong supporter of punitive measures to prevent further election interference.  He supported the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, which mandates sanctions on Russia, and the Trump Administration’s expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats from the nation last month in retaliation for a blatant attack by the Kremlin of a former Russian spy, while also advocating for the Administration to take further steps to prevent cyberattacks in the first place.

According to a recent report by the Center for American Progress, which evaluated the security preparedness of all 50 state election systems, most state election systems remain vulnerable to hacking and foreign interference.  Rhode Island scored above the national average, getting a B rating in the report.  Not a single state received an “A” rating.  In addition to Rhode Island, ten other states received a B, 23 states got a C, 12 states received a D, and five states were given an F.