Russia attacked the 2016 American election. Not a single thing has been done to harden or stop

[onecaliberal]

The theft of the 2020 election. Is anyone else as concerned about this as I am?

[SHRED]

1. Dump believes Putin. He said so in Helsinki

So it never happened.

[onecaliberal]

3. That's right, it must have slipped my mind...

[woodsprite]

2. Actually, they've been eliminating and/or purposefully underfunding protections. n/t

[Igel]

4. The "protections" eliminated

have been things like offices.

Offices don't protect; software, firewalls, other security measures are the protections.

I haven't heard that any firewalls were eliminated, software security procedures banned, etc., etc. I have heard that some states have upgraded their systems and protections; utility companies, ditto. I wouldn't expect to hear about most of the steps taken, so whether you think there were any or were none is entirely a question of belief and assumption: But if I heard about them, you can be sure that the Russians (and others) would have heard about them. I suspect that would require the sharing of classified information, if at the federal level (there being, as far as I know, no comparable classification scheme for states). Still, absence of evidence remains no evidence of absence.

[PeeJ52]

5. Yes I am. The Republicans are in better shape to steal this election than they were in 2016...

The Republicans hold both houses of state legislatures in more states to give tRump an even larger margin of victory in the electoral college and are already making efforts to suppress the vote in those states. They have already practiced in Georgia and know what works. https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1016&pid=230683

The Republicans have confirmed a record number of conservative judges and Joanie Ernst of the Senate Judiciary committee has stated their legislative goal in the Senate is to confirm as many more as possible before 2020. https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/22/politics/joni-ernst-robert-mueller-testify-donald-trump/index.html Any objections to voter suppression cases in the states of course will need to be heard before the courts.

Throw in the fact that tRump has even done more to hinder fighting cybersecurity hacking of the elections and we have a perfect storm brewing.

[onecaliberal]

6. Meanwhile we are debating impeachment of a criminal occupying the White House.

[PeeJ52]

8. Because it's too late to do anything about the vote. Republican corruption must be exposed...

If it is left to go by the wayside, we will surely lose. We can't change the state legislatures or the courts by 2020. The only way we possibly have a chance in 2020 is for an overwhelming rebuke of the Republican party. The only way to have an overwhelming rebuke of the Republican party is to hold public hearings which ultimately culminate in impeachment. Timing is important. Public outrage has to peak in November.

[onecaliberal]

10. If people are not allowed to vote because of suppression, we can't win.

Look what they did to Abrams in Georgia. Impeachment hearings need to begin now. Dump and republicans will continue to obstruct.

[world wide wally]

7. It's the only way Trump has a chance.

He's not going to risk anything that gives him hope.

[Nitram]

9. I've heard reporting on NPR that progress has been made, although it is not uniform

across the different states. Social Media has done a great deal to reduce the ability of foreign actors to create phony accounts and distribute false information. Trump has done little to support this effort, but the states have taken it upon themselves to take action.

[JayhawkSD]

29. States are regulating social media?

How do individual states establish control on the Internet? Mechanism please.

[Nitram]

31. No, States are tightening up security on the voting process from voter registration roles to

installing going machines with a paper trail. The social media companies have taken concrete steps to reduce disinformation.

[shanti]

11. After so many years

of distress calls about black box voting, you would think TPTB would tighten things up, wouldn't you? There were demonstrations (by kids, no less!) about how easy it was to hack our voting systems, yet not a peep has been made about it. What's to stop them again?

[onecaliberal]

13. Russia would never change votes. They're just checking on information...

[JayhawkSD]

30. Were there actual hacks to steal votes?

I have not seen one suggestion that the Russians hacked one election to change votes in one single state, county or city, or that they even tried to do so. There are claims that Russians hacked voter databases but none that they even attempted to hack voting systems or voting machines. No suggestion has been made, however, that the Russians altered any of the voter databases that they are reported to have hacked.

Yes, these school kids showed that voting machines could be hacked if they were connected to the internet. Voting machines are not online on voting day, however, and therefor cannot be hacked.

[NYMinute]

12. Of course not

it helps the POTUS and his cronies.

[murielm99]

14. Our candidates,

ALL of our candidates, must mention this every time they speak. Make it part of the 2020 theme.

[JohnnyRingo]

15. And nothing will be done before the election

Obviously, public support is vital for Trump to remain in office and Russia is offering free brainwashing to paint the president as the victim of a liberal coup. Expect republicans in the senate to actively block efforts to stop them.

I've spoken to too many who are softening their critical view of Trump, and Facebook memes are the likely reason. 42% get their "news" there.

[Firestorm49]

16. Democracy is hanging by a thread and Republicans don't give a damn.

[onecaliberal]

17. They're profiting nicely.

[MartyTheGreek]

18. Already a Campaign Issue: Election Cybersecurity...

Was one of the questions last weekend during a town hall for one of the dem candidates, I forgot her name...

Need this question front and center going in... What are you going to do or support and what have you done for election cyber-security? And, BTW, why did you wait so long?

Dems need to OWN this national security issue. And, ask Turtle why he didn't do anything during summer 16 when BHO and our intel agencies warned both sides and wanted a public announcement that the elections were under threat and DNC was hacked etc.

Shame on the KGOP and Red Don!

[Hassler]

19. It worked once for Chump, why would he do anything to prevent it?

[spike91nz]

20. Act of war

I would expect that an attack by a foreign power upon the critical infrastructure of our democratic process, in an effort to undermine the security and integrity of the republic, is an act of war. Failure to respond with the appropriate strengthening of security and diplomatic consequences would seem to qualify as malfeasance of officials and their failure to comply with their oaths of office. The Republicans are selling out the country to oligarchs on the premise that they can avoid having to accommodate human rights and eventually having to turn power over to the emerging diverse population of citizens. We are in a critical struggle for the ideals of our democratic republic and cannot trust corporatists and capitalism to hold allegiance to the nation.

[onecaliberal]

21. The corporatists seem to have a death grip on the entirety of our systems.

[Duppers]

25. Amen to that.

[calimary]

22. Yep! Absolutely. And with growing fear and deep concern.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212036461

[DemocraticSocialist8]

23. There's nothing the Dems can do nationally because the Senate and Trump will block everything

from the House that is remotely Progressive. Which is why HR1 is good legislation, but won't have a chance until a Progressive Dem gets in.

The only thing Democrats can do is take action on a statewide level in States where they have enough control over the government. We know that's not a majority of States out there...so honestly, this exposes the GOP more than anything. They're a party full of traitors and political hacks who are willing to undermine democracy to maintain power. The entirety of the GOP is extreme, there are no "moderate" Republicans anymore. Too bad the media will never say this and they'll continue to with the "both-siding" bs.

[onecaliberal]

28. Every blue state should pass laws regarding tax returns and ballot eligibility.

[Duppers]

24. I posted about it yesterday here...

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=12036799

"The most dangerous coverup is that US voting machines are vulnerable to hackers. If we lose faith in election results, democracy crumbles. The Justice Dept should be focused on instituting paper ballot backups, per my Securing America's Elections Act."
- Rep. Gabbard

Election fraud existed in this last Presidential election. How can we be assured that that tRump won't pull out ALL stops on the next one?

[Karadeniz]

26. Isn't that against his oath of office? Prez is supposed to protect and defend. In fact, he

corrupted his oath by setting up an election committee under Kris Kobach whose real job was to eliminate voters.

[SWBTATTReg]

27. They has been strengthening in some areas...in MO, they still continue to offer paper ballots...

if this is what voters choose as their medium of choice in voting. Also, efforts are underway to go 100% paper voting, and also, methods are being proposed that voters can print out a copy of their voting afterwards to check and see if in fact this was what was what they wanted.

JEFFERSON CITY — Voters could get the chance to check their electronic ballot for accuracy before turning it in under a proposed bill. House Bill 543, sponsored by Rep. Tony Lovasco, R-O’Fallon, would require electronic voting machines to print out a paper ballot that could be reviewed by the voter. That paper ballot would also be available to those checking ballots during recounts. The bill also works to phase out electronic voting machines that directly record results without producing some sort of physical copy. As the machines die out because of age or malfunction, the bill states that they would not be replaced. The bill would make paper ballots the “official ballot” except for those submitted by electronic machines that have not yet been replaced. Lovasco said in the hearing the bill would allow a voter to “know 100 percent that how they intended to vote is how, indeed, they voted when they turn that ballot in.” Rep. Peggy McGaugh, R-Carrollton, said she had talked to election authorities from St. Louis prior to hearing the bill and that St. Louis was already considering phasing out direct recording machines. The bill would also require a manual recount of votes in at least 5 percent of all election precincts by the election authorities. Deputy Secretary of State Trish Vincent said that was already practiced and wasn’t necessary to include in a law.

Similar legislation passed the House and was debated in the Senate last year, in part over concerns about the possible hacking of voting machines.