Minnesota GOP shrugs at election security: People are 'hacked all the time'

[turbinetree]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Yonnie3 (a host of the Democratic Primaries forum).

By Lisa Needham -
May 6, 2019

Republicans in Minnesota are refusing to accept federal funds that would help secure the state's voting systems.

GOP state legislators in Minnesota are refusing to allocate federal money to combat election hacking because "people are being hacked all the time."

In the wake of Russian interference in the 2016 election, Congress appropriated $380 million to the states to increase the security of elections. However, Minnesota requires that the Legislature must vote to accept the money. It remains the only state in the country that hasn't accepted this federal funding, which amounts to $6.6 million.

Inexplicably, the Republican majority in the state Senate has only authorized the allocation of $1.5 million, even though Minnesota was one of 21 states targeted by hackers during the 2016 election.

The person most responsible for blocking those funds is Minnesota's former secretary of state, Mary Kiffmeyer, who once served as the state's top elections official and was responsible for election security.

https://shareblue.com/minnesota-gop-elections-federal-funds/

-snip-

Minnesota's current secretary of state, Democrat Steve Simon, has a detailed plan for what he'd do with that federal money, including cybersecurity training for counties and cities, modernizing the state's aging voter registration system, and monitoring state databases in real time to catch suspicious events right away.

By law, Minnesota's legislative session must end by May 20, 2019, though it is possible for the governor to call a special session. Legislators don't return to work until the beginning of 2020, by which point it will be far too late to effectively use the federal funds to help secure Minnesota's elections.

But the Minnesota GOP would rather play politics than ensure the state successfully combats cyber-intrusions in the 2020 elections.

[PatrickforO]

1. Traitorous assholes...

Seriously - to not accept federal money to harden the cybersecurity for elections?

Really?

[turbinetree]

4. The republicans are not for country in any shape or form...................and yes they are traitors

November 3, 2020 cannot get here fast enough......................

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. In 2004, when Mary Kiffmeyer was Secretary of State, she tried to keep Native Americans from voting

by refusing to accept tribal IDs as valid for registration. Fortunately, a federal court put a stop to that nonsense, but she's still trying to wreak her evil as a legislator.

[turbinetree]

5. I guess she's in with the "allotment and termination crowd", and she is a racist

I have family members on Leech Lake reservation.....................I think I will remind them of her...................Wado.........Thank you for the information...................

[Sherman A1]

3. Pardon me for a moment

[crazytown]

7. 'China if you're listening'

[Ford_Prefect]

6. One would think they plan to use such intrusions to their own ends, no?

[tanyev]

8. They'd be screaming bloody murder if all the interference had benefited Dems.

[barbtries]

9. they're not shrugging.

they're rubbing their hands together in glee.

[magicarpet]

10. The Russians are helping the Rethugs toss the elections in their favor....

.... why alter or change a good thing.

Fuck Democracy, treason in the new fashion.

[Yonnie3]

11. Locking ...

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