Election Security and Foreign Power Interference are Still Top Agenda Items

Although it was found that foreign governments meddled with our 2016 Presidential Elections, the 2020 elections are still being plagued by foreign interference. However, more governmental units are working together to combat a repeat of the 2016 insurgence, according to Philip Ewing, veteran Washington reporter and Elections Security Editor for National Public Radio. The FBI as well as numerous intelligence agencies have targeted interference from Russia, China, Iran and other countries. This type of meddling involves foreign entities trolling Americans to sow extreme divisiveness among voting groups and against candidates, Ewing says. This election there is more coordinated government action, not only among agencies, but with social media companies like Facebook, Google, and Twitter regulating content, Ewing adds. Despite the amped up government attacks against outside interference, it still continues, according to Ewing. He also indicates that foreign governments have solicited America citizens to sow divisiveness and suspicions about the validity of our election processes. Even though havoc is still being played with public opinion about our electoral processes, Ewing says that the integrity of the individual vote is still highly secure He cites various studies that show that the voting processes in states, whether mail or in-person voting, are highly accurate and not subject to widespread fraud as President Donald Trump espouses. Ewing also notes that with early voting the campaign season is no longer targeted for the late October crescendo but instead starts to reach its peak by mid-September. Although our elections are still being interfered with by foreign entities, Ewing notes that voter suppression issues are just as important to address domestically.