Will Hackers Hijack The Presidential Election?

Nearly 16 years after "hanging chads" threw the 2000 presidential election into chaos, a new threat of vote tampering looms over the upcoming contest.  Fears of a rigged election gained traction when the FBI director warned states about the potential of hackers invading voting systems in November.

Director James Comey sounded the alarm last week after it was disclosed there have been cyberattacks in recent weeks on voter databases in Illinois and Arizona.  He divulged the FBI takes "very seriously" the prospect "of an effort to influence the conduct of affairs in our country."

Comey's assessment comes on the heels of comments by Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, who both expressed concerns about election fraud. In today's overheated climate, the candidates' statements coupled with Comey's assertion have cast a pall over the presidential election.

If Americans cannot trust the voting procedure, then the entire premise of our democracy is at risk.

An investigation reveals that the biggest threat to America's presidential election may be outdated technology rather than hacking, according to a 2015 study by New York University School of Law's Brennan Center for Justice.

Researchers discovered that 43 states will be using electronic voting machines that are at least a decade old.  Many of the machines, manufactured in the 1990's, are susceptible to malfunctions and may have serious security flaws.  The price tag for replacing the machines is more than $1 billion.

As a result of the replacement costs, many states have delayed purchasing new voting equipment. If the antiquated machines fail, it may fuel longer voting lines and force delays in results thus eroding public confidence in the election outcome.  In a close contest, it will ignite a political firestorm.

Although hacking may be a ominous prospect, it would be nearly impossible to rig the election because of the myriad of voting methods used in the 9,000 precincts in the country.  Eighteen states still use old-fashioned paper ballots, which are tabulated in most cases by optical scanners.

Others states use infamous punchcard systems and touchscreen devices, which are often referred to as Digital Recording Electronic (DRE) systems.  The later employ computers to record votes directly into the computer's memory.  The last of the mechanical lever voting machines was retired after 2010.

There is no data available on the exact number of electronic versus paper voting systems.  However, most voters will be using paper ballots or punchcards, reports Verified Voting Foundation, a non-profit, non-partisan group that provides data on elections.

A group or foreign country would have to deploy hundreds of its agents to fiddle with computers, punchcards and optical paper ballot scanners. Many voting machines are so old that they are not easily hacked because a cybercriminal would need to be physically located next to the device.

However, this does not mean it is impossible to alter voting results. If someone wanted to fix the election, the hacker could install malware on scanning devices used to tabulate votes. But the individual would have to place the software on the device right before the ballot counting began.

To rig the election, the cybercriminals would have to install the malware on hundreds, perhaps thousands, of vote tabulation scanners across the nation.  That kind of widespread tampering would surely be noticed by poll watchers, election officials and party observers.

These assurances aside, there is understandable angst about the voting process.  The country was put on notice about the vulnerability of its systems when someone hacked the Democrat Party's emails. Suspicion rests on the Russians, but there has been no confirmation from the FBI.

The best defense against a rigged election remains updating the outmoded voting machines and tabulators.  States must spend the money to insure fair elections. With the very foundation of democracy at stake, they can no longer afford to use funding as an excuse for lack of action.

At least all this talk about hacking elections has produced one positive outcome. Officials who support voting over the internet are having second thoughts.  Online voting would be a hackers dream come true. Better for the country to have to deal with hanging chads.