Federal Authorities To Investigate NC Election Hacking Concerns

Federal investigators will examine North Carolina's polling equipment supplied by a company targeted by Russian hackers.

On Election Day 2016, problems arose in Durham County as some residents came in to cast their votes. There were lengthy delays as the precincts switched to paper poll books instead of the computer one they had been using to check voters in.

That electronic poll book was made by VR Systems. Now the U.S. Department of Homeland Security says it will analyze laptops and hard drives to see if the company's systems were hacked by Russian military intelligence.

The Washington Post reports that the state faces significant difficulties in tightening up security in time for the 2020 election.

State election officials say neither the state nor Durham County officials had any evidence that outside interference played a role in the election day problems. But they acknowledge that the state lacks the technical expertise to rule out the possibility.

“We appreciate the Department of Homeland Security's willingness to make this a priority so the lingering questions from 2016 can be addressed in advance of 2020,” says Karen Brinson Bell, who took over as state elections director June 1.

Sara Sendek, a Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman, says the agency has no information confirming previous or ongoing issues regarding election systems in North Carolina. But examining the Durham County laptops will provide insights that may help secure future elections.

“The North Carolina State Board of Elections has been an engaged and valued partner with DHS, taking advantage of services ranging from routine scans to in-depth assessments of their networks,” she said.

North Carolina sought to decertify VR System poll books in the state after the National Security Administration named the company in a report that was leaked in 2017. But VR Systems fought it successfully in court. Durham County moved to a state-provided poll book after 2016.

Hackers with access to electronic voter rolls could change names, addresses or polling places, sowing confusion that could undermine confidence in elections.

Neither Guilford nor Forsyth County used the VR Systems electronic poll book for Election Day 2016, relying instead on printed labels.

A National Academies of Science report last year called for an urgent overhaul of the rickety U.S. election system with all U.S. elections to be held on human readable paper ballots by 2020.