The hack into US voting systems by Russia was worse than reported. Thirty-nine states were compromised, and the Obama administration worried that the Kremlin’s goal was to delete voter registration information.
Bloomberg reported that the Russian hackers reached voting systems in 39 states and that their motive was to impact the election:
In Illinois, investigators found evidence that cyber intruders tried to delete or alter voter data. The hackers accessed software designed to be used by poll workers on Election Day, and in at least one state accessed a campaign finance database. Details of the wave of attacks, in the summer and fall of 2016, were provided by three people with direct knowledge of the U.S. investigation into the matter. In all, the Russian hackers hit systems in a total of 39 states, one of them said.
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The Obama administration believed that the Russians were possibly preparing to delete voter registration information or slow vote tallying in order to undermine confidence in the election. That effort went far beyond the carefully timed release of private communications by individuals and parties.
The reason why the Russians weren’t successful is chilling. They ran out of time before Election Day. It is easy to see the Russians, who had already gotten the voter registration lists, purging Democratic voters in key states to help Trump.
There is so much that is not known about the Russian hack, including definitively whether or not it was successful in impacting the vote on Election Day. When Donald Trump claimed during the campaign that the election was rigged, he was right. What America didn’t know that maybe he did was that it was being rigged for him.
Trump’s presidency was the outcome of the Russian election interference. What has not been addressed is the safety and integrity of the voting system. If Republicans refuse to secure the voting system, they are putting out the welcome mat and leaving the door wide open for the Russians to meddle in future US elections.
Every day that the voting system remains vulnerable is an act of treason by Trump and the Republican Party.
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
