Six senators, including both Democrats and Republicans, have introduced a bill in the Senate that would eliminate paperless voting machines from U.S. elections, while also calling for audits to reduce dangers of foreign government interference.
"With the 2018 elections, just around the corner, Russia will be back to interfere again," said one of the co-sponsors, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Ars Technica reported.
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., is the bill's lead sponsor.
The bill, called the Secure Elections Act, would provide grants to states to allow them to move away from paperless systems that are vulnerable to hacking, Ars Technica reported.
"Computer scientists were worried about them from the start," said Alex Halderman, a University of Michigan computer scientist, in Ars Technica.
The legislation would encourage routine post-election audits using modern statistical techniques, instead of how many states perform such audits now, by counting a fixed percentage of ballots, the report said.
Lawrence Norden, a New York University elections expert, told Ars Technica that the national security ties of co-sponsors Lankford and Harris — the pair are the only senators that serve on both the Homeland Security Committee and the Intelligence Committee — are vital to the success of a bill pertinent to national security.
"It is imperative that we strengthen our election systems and give the states the tools they need to protect themselves and the integrity of voters against the possibility of foreign interference," Lankford said when unveiling the bill, The Hill reported.
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