Helping State and Local Governments Prevent Cyber Attacks Act would help combat foreign interference by providing state and local governments with information and resources they need to keep our elections secure and improve voter confidence

The legislation would also simplify registration and voting processes to save taxpayer dollars, increase efficiency

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee with oversight jurisdiction over federal elections, has introduced legislation to improve the security of U.S. election systems and make commonsense improvements to election administration. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has designated election infrastructure as a critical infrastructure, but the designation only provides expedited access to DHS information, it does not provide local jurisdictions with the resources they need to modernize and upgrade infrastructure to keep elections secure. The Helping State and Local Governments Prevent Cyber Attacks Act would help combat foreign interference by providing state and local governments with information and resources they need to keep our elections secure and improve voter confidence. The bill is cosponsored by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) , Dick Durbin (D-IL), Al Franken (D-MN), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Tom Udall (D-NM), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).

“Free and fair elections have become targets for adversaries looking to subvert our democracy," said Klobuchar. "According to the Department of Homeland Security, in the last election, as many as 21 states may have been hit by Russian hackers. State and local election officials must have the tools and resources they need to prevent these attacks and ensure that future elections are safeguarded from foreign interference.”

The Helping State and Local Governments Prevent Cyber Attacks Act amends the Help America Vote Act by requiring the Election Assistance Commission to hold public hearings and establish best practice recommendations for both election cybersecurity and election audits. Once those best practices are finalized, the bill provides for a grant program that helps provide states with $325 million in grant funds to implement these best practices. Additionally, the bill will create efficiencies that save taxpayer dollars including:

  • creating an online federal voter registration form to provide all eligible Americans with access to online voter registration;
  • requiring the United States Post Office to connect its change of address services with the online federal form to streamline voter registration for Americans that move;
  • strengthening the accuracy of voting lists by notifying previous jurisdictions when Americans move and register in a new location;
  • protecting the right to vote by allowing voters who had previously registered in a state to update their address through Election Day; and
  • providing an opportunity for all eligible Americans to vote at a convenient time.

Earlier this month, as Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee, Klobuchar led Committee Democrats in a call for hearings and briefings on foreign attempts to hack into U.S. election systems and improving cyber security. Klobuchar also led a group of 26 senators in calling for a full account of the Election Assistance Commission’s (EAC) efforts to address Russian cybersecurity threats. 

In early January, Klobuchar introduced legislation with four other senators to create an independent, nonpartisan commission to comprehensively investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election. Klobuchar was recently in Ukraine, the Baltic states, and Georgia to reinforce support for our Eastern European allies and to focus on mounting international cybersecurity threats. The bipartisan congressional delegation was led by Republican Senator John McCain from Arizona, the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and also included Klobuchar and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

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