NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper is urging Tennessee's Republican-led legislature to use $29 million-plus in federal money on backup paper ballots, citing concerns from national security experts over vulnerabilities of paperless systems to hacking from Russia and others.
Cooper said Friday the federal Help America Vote Act money could possibly secure ballots before local May primaries.
Cooper said former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, ex-Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff and others have encouraged use of ballots that provide a paper trail. Tennessee largely uses paperless machines.
Adam Ghassemi, Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett's spokesman, said counties choose from state and federally certified machines, equipment changes are typically done during nonelection years and machines aren't connected to the internet.
Ghassemi said results certification in post-election weeks adds checks and balances.