Ratcliffe, Collins introduce bill to protect state voting systems

“ Russians targeted state voting systems in the 2016 presidential election, and other foreign powers may also be working to do the same in 2020. This makes it even more important to secure state elections systems."

WASHINGTON — Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) today introduced the Defending the Integrity of Voting Systems Act in the House. Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, is an original cosponsor of this legislation. “We must protect the integrity of our elections systems, and that includes our state voting systems,” said Collins. “Russians targeted state voting systems in the 2016 presidential election, and other foreign powers may also be working to do the same in 2020. This makes it even more important to secure state elections systems. I appreciate Representative Ratcliffe’s leadership in introducing the Defending the Integrity of Voting Systems Act, and I look forward to working with him to pass this bill through the House.”    The Defending the Integrity of Voting Systems Act amends the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act to include state voting systems and would make it a felony to hack or attempt to hack into a state voting system. Under current law, computers that are part of state elections systems are not considered protected computers. “It’s not enough to speak out against hacking our voting systems, but then do nothing to actively deter it. We must ensure that those who attempt to interfere in our elections will face strict punishment for their actions. This isn’t a partisan issue. It’s about protecting each American’s right to vote and have their vote count,” Ratcliffe said. “I’m grateful for Ranking Member Collins’ strong support of our bipartisan efforts to protect our country from the threat of future attacks on our electorate.” The bill text is available here.