Election security expert J. Alex Halderman makes a compelling case for why Hillary Clinton needs to challenge the election results to ensure the integrity of our voting system.
Halderman wrote on Medium:
Were this year’s deviations from pre-election polls the results of a cyberattack? Probably not. I believe the most likely explanation is that the polls were systematically wrong, rather than that the election was hacked. But I don’t believe that either one of these seemingly unlikely explanations is overwhelmingly more likely than the other. The only way to know whether a cyberattack changed the result is to closely examine the available physical evidence — paper ballots and voting equipment in critical states like Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, nobody is ever going to examine that evidence unless candidates in those states act now, in the next several days, to petition for recounts.
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After the election, human beings can examine the paper to make sure the results from the voting machines accurately determined who won. Just as you want the brakes in your car to keep working even if the car’s computer goes haywire, accurate vote counts must remain available even if the machines are malfunctioning or attacked. In both cases, common sense tells us we need some kind of physical backup system. I and other election security experts have been advocating for paper ballots for years, and today, about 70% of American voters live in jurisdictions that keep a paper record of every vote.
The idea that the election may have been tampered with is dangerous to the legitimacy of the electoral process. Fundamentally, raising the question about the security of the process undermines a key institution of our representative democracy.
Hillary Clinton clearly loves her country. Calling for a full audit or recount of swing state election results wouldn’t be complaining or acting like a sore loser. A full examination of the results would questions to rest, and allow people to believe in the process.
If there is even a chance that the election was tampered with, Hillary Clinton has a duty to the American people to challenge the results. The challenge isn’t about optics, policies, or legacies. It’s about protecting the integrity of our democracy, which is why Hillary Clinton should put her country first by challenging the election results in several swing states.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
