What They’re Thinking: U.S. election official talks election security

The biggest threat facing U.S. elections is not voter fraud but disinformation and misinformation increasingly undermining the public’s perception of voting security, a top U.S. election official says.

U.S. Election Assistance Commissioner Donald Palmer recently met with state and local election officials at the Iowa State Professional Association Conference in preparation for the 2024 general election.

Palmer talked about the commission’s commitment to secure, accurate, accessible and transparent elections — issues that are top of mind for many voters in Iowa.

  Buy Photo

He recently spoke with The Gazette about efforts to improve the manufacturing and testing of voting machines in the United States, including new standards for the next generation of voting systems across the country with improved cybersecurity, accessibility and usability requirements.

Palmer was nominated by former President Donald Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2019 for the four-member commission.

The commission was created as part of the Help America Vote Act passed by Congress following the many issues raised and litigated in the 2000 presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore. The commission sets standards for voting systems and supports states with other aspects of election administration, including distributing federal funds. It also publishes widely used voting data, and maintains the national mail voter registration form.

Q: How have you been working with state and local election officials to improve election security?

A: “The primary discussion point was how the standards have been improved. We adopted VVSG (Voluntary Voting System Guidelines) 2.0. But one of the messages that I sent to them was, you know, the public needs to be reassured that the voting systems that we’ve certified in the past are reliable, safe and as accurate as they were before. Just because standards change and technology changes doesn’t mean we lose faith in our machines.”

The new standards support various audit methods supporting software independence to confirm the accuracy of the vote and increase voter confidence. The standards will guide the design and development of the new generation of voting systems that will start to go out into the field in 2025 and 2026.

The updates include:

Palmer said he gave Iowa state and local election officials an “atta boy” for the Iowa Secretary of State’s “bug bounty” program to look for vulnerabilities, and the Dubuque County Auditor's Office’s strategic partnership with Dubuque County Disabilities Council to improve accessibility for voters with disabilities.

  Buy Photo

Both received Clearinghouse Awards, or “Clearies,” awards from the commission, which shines a light on the often behind-the-scenes work by state and local election officials that enables elections to run smoothly and efficiently.

The Secretary of State’s office works with Bugcrowd, a national leader in crowdsourced cybersecurity, to identify hackers that can responsibly look for vulnerabilities in its voting systems and report them to state officials. Similar programs are utilized within the federal government and several Fortune 500 companies.

Palmer said the program is a crucial step in ongoing efforts to enhance election cybersecurity.

Q: Iowa has joined a number of other Republican-led states in pulling out of a multistate organization that works to improve the accuracy of voter roles, commonly known as ERIC, or the Electronic Registration Information Center. Your thoughts on those moves and the implication for states pulling out of that organization?

A: “I was a founding member of ERIC, and I found that we were able to find consensus on a number of issues. … And I’m hopeful that they’ll be able to find that bipartisan consensus … on a way forward.”

Palmer said he felt there should have been some reforms taken that unfortunately didn’t occur, but denied allegations that the organization had turned into a left-wing voter registration drive funded by billionaire George Soros.

“That’s not true.”

Q: Can you elaborate a little bit about what EAC is doing to ensure for a secure, accurate and transparent election in 2024?

A: “For 2024, what we’re doing is we’re the first stop for our voting machines. If a manufacturer wants to bring in a voting machine, we’re going to test that in an accredited lab and make sure it meets all of the specifications for accuracy and security. And once it’s out of our hands, it goes to the states. And the states often have their own program for supplemental testing. And, then, many counties will do their own testing. We’re the first step in a multifaceted process … of supplemental and overlapping testing.

“A lot of different hands and eyes are on this voting equipment to ensure that it’s working properly. And election officials take this very seriously to make sure the machine is working and it’s tabulating correctly. And voters can be confident that their vote will be counted.”

Q: How difficulty has it been trying to get that message out and combat some of the misinformation being spread, particularly by former President Donald Trump — who continues to make unfounded, baseless accusations of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election and that the results of that election can’t be trusted?

A: “Well, the former president is talking to the wrong people. These machines, and I think him and his team know this to be the case, the voting machines were not the issue. They’re actually more accurate and secure than they have ever been. That doesn’t mean there’s areas for improvement. But, it’s just not the case. And I think most folks who look at this issue — they may have some problems with different facets or processes that they don’t agree with. Perhaps there could be some more security with in-person voting or more security with mail voting. But, the bottom line is the voting machines are highly accurate and highly secure.”

Palmer added: “At no point has there been any finding that the voting machines were exploited and had votes shifted in any way.”

Q: How much damage has Fox News’ discredited reporting and false assertions that Dominion Voting System rigged the 2020 presidential election done in terms of American voters’ and the general public’s trust in the security and integrity of elections and these voting systems?

A: “It’s been difficult to keep that confidence of voters. … We’re trying to not just respond to every accusation. We’re trying to — with video and sort of authority and patriotism — show what elections officials are doing to support elections across the country. And I think the American people just need to hear a different message.

“And, hopefully, we can try to get the word out.”

Comments: (319) 398-8499; tom.barton@thegazette.com