A multifaceted, targeted approach is necessary to bolster election security and protect democratic institutions in the run up to the 2020 election in the U.S., researchers argue.
With just over two months before the 2020 election, intelligence officers in the U.S. have warned that Russia and other rivals are again attempting to undermine the nation’s democracy.
But these concerns over election security extend far beyond safeguarding insecure voting machines and questions about voting by mail in the United States.
Based on an analysis of election reforms in Australia and European Union nations, the researchers outline steps to address election infrastructure security—such as requiring paper ballots and risk-limiting audits—as well as deeper structural interventions to limit the spread of misinformation and combat digital repression.
“In the United States, despite post-2016 funding, still more than two-thirds of U.S. counties report insufficient funding to replace outdated, vulnerable paperless voting machines; further help is needed,” says Scott Shackelford, associate professor of business law and ethics in the Kelley School at Indiana University, executive director of the Ostrom Workshop, and chair of the Cybersecurity Program.
“No nation, however powerful, or tech firm, regardless of its ambitions, is able to safeguard democracies against the full range of threats they face in 2020 and beyond. Only a multifaceted, polycentric approach that makes necessary changes up and down the stack will be up to the task.”
For example, Australia—which has faced threats from China—has taken a distinct approach to protect its democratic institutions, including reclassifying its political parties as “critical in ..
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