Election

Ga. Rep. Hank Johnson Introduces Voting Protection Measures

September 22nd, 2016

Jim Smith steps out of a voting booth after marking his ballot at a polling site for the New Hampshire primary, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Nashua, N.H. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Georgia Rep. Hank Johnson introduced legislation in Congress this week in an effort to boost protection for voting systems following recent federal warnings about cybersecurity threats.

“The threat to our voting process is clear and present,” Johnson said. He cited the recent hackings at the Democratic National Committee and attempts into voter systems in other states.

One of his measures, H.R. 6073, would classify voting systems as “critical infrastructure,” which would allow for the Department of Homeland Security more oversight over local and state systems. The bill would mandate states and local governments to comply with a new set of federal standards, Johnson said.

The Department of Homeland Security this summer offered cybersecurity assistance to states regarding elections. Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp declined, citing concerns about federal overreach and saying state officials were prepared for a potential cyberattack. Meanwhile, Kemp has joined a federal election cybersecurity task force.

Johnson, however, expressed concerns about Georgia’s efforts, citing an incident last year when the Secretary of State’s office mistakenly released the voter information of 6 million voters.

“Our processes are not in any way foolproof,” Johnson said. “Hundreds of thousands of voter identification information, private voter identification information, sensitive information was released by mistake.”

A spokesperson with the Secretary of State’s office said the release was due to a clerical error, not hacking, and said the state’s voting equipment systems are not connected to the Internet.

Johnson said his other measure, H.R. 6072, would provide for paper ballots and paper trails in elections.