Waltz, Murphy Introduce Legislation to Inform Officials Public of Elections Hacking

Statement

U.S. Reps. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) and Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.) have formally unveiled bipartisan legislation to require the Department of Homeland Security to notify state and local officials, certain Members of Congress and potentially affected voters when federal agencies identify an election system breach.

H.R. 3259, the Achieving Lasting Electoral Reforms on Transparency and Security (ALERTS Act), follows reports revealing Russian infiltration into the computer networks of two Florida counties prior to the 2016 U.S. election.

"It has now been nearly two months since Florida delegation members were briefed by the FBI on the two hacked counties in Florida -- and the voters in these counties still don't know if Russians have accessed their personal data," Waltz said. "Our elections system is perhaps the most critical of all infrastructure to our democracy -- and it is constantly under attack from foreign powers who do not share our values. After we adequately harden our infrastructure, the federal government needs to have an honest conversation about deterrent strategy. We need to not only secure our elections for our defense but for the security of other democracies around the globe facing the same threat."

"The one thing that is indisputable in the Mueller report is the fact that Russia interfered in our election. In Florida, it is unacceptable that the Russians know which systems were hacked but not the American voters who are the true victims of this intrusion," said Murphy. "Just like consumers expect credit card or social media companies to disclose when their personal data has been compromised, voters also expect their government to notify them when their voting information is improperly accessed. Strengthening the security of our elections, especially from attacks by foreign adversaries, needs to be a top priority."

Under the bill, federal officials would be required to promptly alert appropriate state and local officials, as well as Members of Congress, if there is credible evidence of an unauthorized intrusion into an election system and a basis to believe such intrusion could have resulted in voter information being altered or otherwise affected. The bill would also require state and local officials to alert potentially affected voters.

Under the bill, federal officials would be required to promptly alert appropriate state and local officials, as well as Members of Congress, if there is credible evidence of an unauthorized intrusion into an election system and a basis to believe such intrusion could have resulted in voter information being altered or otherwise affected. The bill would also require state and local officials to alert potentially affected voters.

The bill does, however, create a narrow exception to public alerts if federal officials determine notification would compromise intelligence sources or methods or cause harm to an ongoing criminal investigation.

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