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BPC: Congress Needs to Act Immediately to Safeguard 2020 Election

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Ari Goldberg

Washington, D.C. – Following the release of the first section of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s bipartisan report detailing Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections, the Bipartisan Policy Center is calling on lawmakers from both the sides of the aisle to take immediate and concrete steps to safeguard the 2020 election and beyond.

Matthew Weil, director of BPC’s Elections Project, says:

“Here’s what we know: The threat of interference in our elections is real and immediate. Our foreign adversaries’ objectives have not changed for 2020 – they want to cause chaos on Election Day and undermine Americans’ confidence in democracy.

 

“If a foreign adversary invaded an American state, the entire U.S. military would respond. So, too, with election security. Congress and the federal government have a vital role to play in helping states secure elections.

 

“Right now, that means funding additional election security grants for the states in the short term and identifying a mechanism for consistent funding going forward. There are many needs and far too few resources at the state and local level for elections, but each state requires a unique approach. Flexibility to meet their security needs is key.

 

“States should also focus on high-impact election security upgrades to their IT infrastructure and build resiliency backups into the election process ahead of the upcoming presidential election.

 

“Then, Congress must have real policy debates—with input from both parties—about policy priorities for safeguarding elections beyond 2020.”

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