Paper Trail Absence May Still Plague 2020 Election
The recommendation for paper ballots may go unheeded in all or part of at least 6 states in the next national election.
![](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt6d90778a997de1cd/bltc94608acf452fd67/655cf371ab171e040a838b2a/329050_DR23_Graphics_Website_V5_Default_Image_v1.png?width=1280&auto=webp&quality=95&format=jpg&disable=upscale)
While Florida might be a "laughingstock", according to a Federal judge ruling on the 2018 election re-count, at least the state had a paper trail to fall back on for that process. The same may not be true for as many as 6 states in the 2020 election, according to an article published today in the Washington Post.
Texas, Indiana, Tennessee, Kansas, Mississippi, and Kentucky are likely to be without paper ballots in all or some of their counties by the time of the next election, according to the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program. While some had hoped that Federal money would be available to make the change, the Secure Elections Act, proposed in the aftermath of the 2016 election, is now mired in controversy and unlikely to be taken up by the lame duck congress.
No security breaches of voting machines have been alleged for the 2018 elections, but many security experts continue to push for paper ballots as a back-stop to possibly hacked systems. Since the responsibility for choosing the election mechanism falls to the states, and in many cases, counties within the states, it seems unlikely that there will be a nation-wide security standard for the foreseeable future.
For more, read here.
Black Hat Europe returns to London Dec 3-6 2018 with hands-on technical Trainings, cutting-edge Briefings, Arsenal open-source tool demonstrations, top-tier security solutions and service providers in the Business Hall. Click for information on the conference and to register.
About the Author
You May Also Like
State of AI in Cybersecurity: Beyond the Hype
October 30, 2024[Virtual Event] The Essential Guide to Cloud Management
October 17, 2024Black Hat Europe - December 9-12 - Learn More
December 10, 2024SecTor - Canada's IT Security Conference Oct 22-24 - Learn More
October 22, 2024