electionlineWeekly on “What’s Next?” in Election Cybersecurity

electionlineWeekly’s Mindy Moretti talked to election cybersecurity experts about what’s next in the field. While it’s certainly true that cyberthreats continue to proliferate, the growing level of attention in the field suggests election officials and policymakers are increasingly in a posture that allows them to confront these challenges head on.

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2020 Starts Now: FVAP Seeks Public Comments on FPCA, FWAB

Believe it or not, the 2020 election cycle is here – and one of the first indications is that the Federal Voting Assistance Program is seeking public comments on two key forms for military and overseas voters: the Federal Post Card Application and the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot. These forms are vitally important to UOCAVA voters; consequently, feedback and comments are crucial so that the forms can be ready when voting for 2020 begins in earnest with the Presidential primary season, which is (gulp) about fourteen months away.

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TIME OUT: NC State Board Delays Certification of Congressional Race Pending Investigation

State certification of election results is usually uneventful, but yesterday the North Carolina State Board of Elections took the unusual step of delaying certification – unanimously and on its own initiative – of the 9th Congressional District race pending an apparent investigation into returns in one county. This story is a reminder that every step of the election process – even ones that feel more or less like a formality – is important and worth taking seriously. It could also become yet another election controversy in a state that has already had more than its share in recent years.

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Senate Rules Hearing TODAY with EAC Nominees Hovland, Palmer

At 2:30pm today, the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration will hold a hearing focused on Ben Hovland and Don Palmer, the two new nominees for the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. If the two are confirmed by the full Senate, it will restore the EAC to full membership and give it a quorum on a full range of administrative and policy questions just as the 2020 election cycle begins in earnest.

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MIT’s Charles Stewart on Public Opinion About Cybersecurity in the 2018 Election

MIT’s Charles Stewart has a new post up at ElectionUpdates that examines public opinion about cybersecurity in the 2018 election – in particular, how respondents’ views changed over time and the impact of partisanship, attention to the news and education. His data suggests attitudes are still fluid due to the newness of the issue – but those attitudes are about get an even bigger test with a presidential election looming.

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