Federal officials are talking with senators today about how states and localities can protect elections from hacking by outside countries.
Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine asked Jeanette Manfra of the Department of Homeland Security if states and localities are adopting “best practices” suggested by the department.
“I’d have to get back to you on a specific number of states, I don’t have that,” Manfra said.
“You think most states have?” Collins said.
“In our informal engagement, many of them noted that they had already adopted some of these and, to the extent that they weren’t they were incorporating them,” Manfra said.
Manfra told independent U.S. Sen. Angus King the department is recommending paper records as a backup to computerized vote tally systems.
Correction: U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is a Republican, not an independent.
