Ernst has failed to act on election security

There are currently at least 20 bills on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's desk that support securing and protecting our elections. These bills have either been proposed in the Senate and stalled or passed in the House and are waiting to be taken up by the Senate.

Can you guess how many of these bills - including bipartisan bills like the Secure Elections Act introduced in December 2017 by Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) - that our Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst has co-sponsored? Zero.

This particular bill gives the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) primary responsibility within the federal government for sharing information about election cybersecurity incidents, threats, and vulnerabilities with federal entities and election agencies. It is a necessary step to protect our elections.

The Mueller Report determined that there was a sustained effort by Russia to influence America's elections. Ahead of 2020, we must recognize this threat and senators such as Ernst must support legislation to protect our elections. This is not a Republican or Democrat issue; this is an American issue, and one that needs to be remedied immediately.

Congress isn't broken. McConnell and Republican leadership is broken. And failing to bring forth legislation to protect our elections is further proof that we need a change in our government at the highest levels.

Sheri Albrecht

Walford