AG Mills calls on Congress to protect the integrity of our elections

July 25, 2018

(AUGUSTA) Attorney General Janet T. Mills has joined a bipartisan coalition of 21 Attorneys General in urging congressional leaders to improve American cyber security and protect the integrity of our elections against cyberattacks and infiltrations like the ones committed by Russia in 2016. The latest investigations into that attack show Russian hackers targeted the American electoral system, stole the private information of hundreds of thousands of people, and infiltrated a company that supplies voting software across the nation, putting the upcoming elections at serious risk as well.

"We must act to protect the integrity of our elections and our democracy," said Attorney General Mills. "I am pleased to join this bi-partisan group of attorneys general to urge action by Congress to ensure that our democracy is protected from future attacks. We know that in 2016 foreign hackers attempted to breach our voting infrastructure and we must be prepared to repel future attempts. Our national security and our very democracy depend on it."

The coalition of AGs urged three steps in addressing election security concerns:

  • Prioritizing and acting on election-security legislation. The Secure Elections Act (S.2261) is before the Senate right now and may address some of our concerns.

  • Increasing funding for the Election Assistance Commission to support election security improvements at the state level and to protect the personal data of voters of our states. Many states lack the resources and tools to protect the polls during this year’s upcoming elections. Additional funding for voting infrastructure will not only allow states to upgrade election systems but will also allow for a comprehensive security risk assessment. Unfortunately, existing Election Assistance Commission grants are simply insufficient to provide for needed upgrades. More funding is essential to equip states with the financial resources to safeguard our democracy and protect the data of voters.

  • Supporting the development of cybersecurity standards for voting systems to prevent future foreign attacks. It is critical that there be a combined effort between governments and security experts to protect against the increased cyber threats posed by foreign entities seeking to weaken our democratic institutions.

Protecting the integrity of the American voting system is a vital issue, reflected in the broad coalition of the Attorneys General joining AG Mills. In addition to Maine, this coalition includes Attorneys General from California, Connecticut, Delaware, The District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington.

Supporting documents

AG Letter Re Election Security