ATLANTA (AP) – Tuesday’s midterm elections will mark the first nationwide voting since Russia targeted state election systems in the 2016 presidential race, with federal, state and local officials seeking to reassure the public their voting systems are secure.
There have been no signs so far that Russia or any other foreign actor has tried to launch cyberattacks against voting systems in any state, according to federal authorities.
The Department of Homeland Security has been working over the last year to improve communication and intelligence-sharing with state and local election officials who were largely left in the dark about Russian activities in 2016. Federal agencies including Homeland Security and the FBI have opened a command center to help state or local election offices with any major cybersecurity problems that arise.
“Things are running pretty smoothly around the country,” said Matt Masterson, senior cybersecurity adviser with the Department of Homeland Security.
The same can’t be said for all security preparations, or for early voting and the voter registration process in some states.