Two years ago, Russian hackers have in the US election intervened. Before the upcoming mid-term elections, the fear of a repeat is large – particularly in the state of Georgia.
On a Friday afternoon in July, the controversy over Russian hackers to have influenced the elections in the United States arrived in Madison in the U.S. state of Georgia. Jeanne Dufort scrolled in your small real estate office through their news feed, as the Federal indictment raised against a Russian Hacker, your interest. The Russians should target sites in Georgia and the elections in 2016.
“This has hit us on a very, very specific type,” said Dufort in an Interview in a Café in Madison, a municipality of around 4000 inhabitants, 70 minutes East of Atlanta. “We hear already for a long time by Russians, hackers, and Facebook,” she said. But a Federal indictment, which deals with the interference of Russia in elections in Georgia and comes from the Deputy attorney Rod Rosenstein – lifting the Problem to a new Level. “That felt very personally,” said Dufort, a member of the Democrats in the district of Morgan County.
Controversial voting machines since 2002
What has made the revelation for Dufort relevant, is the fact that Georgia is one of only five States that rely exclusively on electronic voting machines and no verifiable ballot paper. Georgia was the first state to introduce such voting machines in 2002.
A controversial choice machine
In the Midterm Elections, the midterm elections next month, will be entitled to 6.8 million election in Georgia in more than 2600 polling districts your voice to the 28,000 of these electronic voting machines. They work like a touch-screen Computer. However, experts say, the systems were highly problematic.
In the past month, the National Academy of Sciences published a long report. It States that “every effort should be made to use in the parliamentary elections of 2018 ballot paper”. Machines, “which produce no expression of choice, which could be verified by voters and in the controls used should be made as quickly as possible taken out of use.”
Use for more choice security
The 29-page Federal indictment mentions no districts which were affected by the hacker attack. That’s why Jeanne asked Dufort, if your Morgan County is one of them, and what to do to the electoral system secure. So she came quickly with Dutton Morehouse in contact. He is Chairman of the Democrats in your district, and together they decided, for in their view the only effective means against Georgia tab choice security: to voting the exchange of electronic voting machines slips of paper.
Continue to fight for a change of the electoral system: Jeanne Dufort, and Dutton Morehouse
“We just wanted to set a sign and show that this is a topic with which you must deal. And if the people can’t continue to bypass the above, we need to do something here and show that it can be done differently,” said Morehouse.
As the authorities later announced that Morgan County was not of the hacker attack affected, it affected the opinions of Dufort and Morehouse. While the two fought on the local level, for your concern, complained prosecutors in Georgia’s capital, Atlanta, to address the issue across the state.
“There are so many ways”
One of the debates for the bill of exchange was Richard DeMillo, a computer scientist and former Dean at Georgia Tech University. In an Interview, he gave a scathing assessment of the electoral system in Georgia. He think it is the worst and easiest to hack in the entire United States.
“There are so many ways. Anyone who wants to influence the elections, has not much work to do,” said DeMillo. As an example, he cited the year 2016. At that time, among other things, the personal data of millions of voters in Georgia were spying on an insecure Server. In addition, he accused election officials to send data over Modems, which are easy to hack. He therefore proposed as an interim solution, the elections in such a way, “like Germany and Ireland, and so many Western democracies – with paper.”
Case dismissed – machines
Last month, a judge in Atlanta has rejected the exchange. The reason: It could trigger Chaos in the weeks before the election. In addition, the use of the electronic voting machines would save time. Content you but to be on the side of the plaintiff: The System is “outdated” and “vulnerable”.
Also, the local press is always the hot topic ballot
Otherwise the Richard Barron saw. He is in Fulton County for the elections, responsible and defended in court the use of electronic voting machines. In a recent Interview, he dismissed the warnings of the experts as “unrealistic scenarios”.
There is enough protection to prevent that the System is tampered with. However, he accused the plaintiffs to sow discord. Also the judge he attacked: “It seemed as if she’d made it up your mind in the Morning as the session began. I was disappointed: they seemed not to be at all impartial.” His message to voters is simple: Ignore the controversy.
No Change in Georgia
In Madison Barron’s Council can not dispel the doubts of Jeanne Dufort, and Dutton Morehouse. However, her application was rejected in Morgan County in a tight decision. The district does not want to overrule the state. Now it looks as if the elections in Georgia would take place as planned, with electronic voting machines.
Dufort wants to choose letter choice, thus, is a physical proof of your vote. For you is clear: This mess means that Russia has won in some way – because the voters could no longer trust the state’s electoral system.