01.17.2018 - By The Chicago Council on Global Affairs
The 2016 United States presidential election demonstrated the vulnerability of electoral systems to outside interference. While much attention has focused on social media and leaked emails the security of voting systems themselves poses a critical threat to American democracy. The scale of this challenge was revealed in July when hackers at the DEF CON conference tested and breached – within minutes – various pieces of election equipment, some of which are still in use today. Can electoral systems be secured in the digital age? How are governments around the world, and at the local, state, and federal level in the United States, preparing to meet this threat?