Security News > 2020 > January > Voting Machine Firm CEOs Open to Greater Federal Oversight

The CEOs of the three largest voting machine manufacturers testified before a U.S. Congressional committee on Thursday that they would be open to greater federal oversight of their equipment to help ensure the security of voting data in upcoming elections, including the 2020 presidential contest.

The three companies - Election Systems and Software, Dominion Voting Systems and Hart InterCivic - have close to 350,000 voting machines deployed across the U.S. and represent more the 80 percent of the country's voting machines, according to NBC News.

While the CEOs of the three companies noted that U.S. Department of Homeland Security's categorization of voting systems as critical infrastructure has helped strengthened election security, they added that that certain changes need to be made to make the election infrastructure more safe.

"We encourage Congress and the to continue exploring ways to apply federal oversight on all election technology, including areas of high vulnerability, such as voter registration, electronic poll books and election night results reporting," Mathis testified.

In the report, the nonpartisan law and public policy institute noted voting machines, registration databases, ballot designs, websites and other infrastructure are maintained by private companies with little federal oversight when it comes to cybersecurity.

News URL

https://www.inforisktoday.com/voting-machine-firm-ceos-open-to-greater-federal-oversight-a-13599