Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Trojans warn elections officials of Trojan horses

Election security

The University of Southern California on Tuesday held the first forum in what will be a 50-state initiative to educate election and campaign officials about cybersecurity.

Matt Anderson Photography/Getty Images

The University of Southern California on Tuesday launched what it says will be a 50-state series of workshops on cybersecurity to educate local election and campaign officials.

The first event in the school's Election Cybersecurity Initiative, funded by Google, was held in the Washington suburb of Columbia, Md.

Each program includes discussion, briefings and interactive exercises presented by educators, experts and elected officials from the area where the event is being held.


The initiative is in response to the campaign by Russian operatives during the 2016 election to hack into election and campaign computer systems and to conduct disinformation campaigns targeting candidates. A broad array of federal officials say there should be no doubt but that those efforts have become only more extensive and sophisticated in the run-up to this year's campaign — and now involve other countries.

Attendees at the sessions will learn how to protect their campaigns against disinformation and hacking threats, and how to prepare and manage a potential crisis.

"This is a complicated issue, but there are some easy steps that can mitigate immediate risks," said the project's managing director, Justin Griffin.





Read More

Defend Democracy Against Bombardments on the Elections Front –A Three-Part Series
polling station poster on clear glass door

Defend Democracy Against Bombardments on the Elections Front –A Three-Part Series

In Part One, Pat Merloe explored the impact of the political environment, the need for constitutional defense against power-grabbing, and the malign effects of proof of citizenship on voting.

In the second part of the three-part series, Merloe explores the harmful effects of Executive Orders, the reversal of the Justice Department on voting rights, and the effects of political retribution.

Keep ReadingShow less
Defend Democracy Against Bombardments on the Elections Front –A Three-Part Series
Voted printed papers on white surface

Defend Democracy Against Bombardments on the Elections Front –A Three-Part Series

In Part 1, Pat Merloe examines the impact of the political environment, the necessity of constitutional defense against power-grabbing, and the detrimental effects of proof of citizenship on voting.

Part One: Bellicose Environment, Constitutional Infringements, and Disenfranchisement by Proof of Citizenship

The intense MAGA barrage against genuine elections, leading up to 2024’s voting, paused briefly after Election Day - not because there was diminished MAGA hostility towards typically trustworthy processes and results, but mainly because Donald Trump won. Much valuable work took place to protect last year’s polls, and much more will be needed as we head toward 2026, 2028, and beyond.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rear view diverse voters waiting for polling place to open
SDI Productions/Getty Images

Open Primaries Topic Creates a Major Tension for Independents

Open primaries create fine opportunities for citizens who are registered as independents or unaffiliated voters to vote for either Democrats or Republicans in primary elections, but they tacitly undermine the mission of those independents who are opposed to both major parties by luring them into establishment electoral politics. Indeed, independents who are tempted to support independent candidates or an independent political movement can be converted to advocates of our duopoly if their states have one form or another of Open Primaries.

Twenty U.S. states currently have Open Primaries for at least one political party at the presidential, congressional, and state levels, including Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin. At least 15 states conduct "semi-closed" primaries, a middle position in which unaffiliated voters still have an option to choose to vote in one of the major party primaries. 

Keep ReadingShow less
Voter registration
The national voter registration form is now available in 20 non-English languages, including three Native American languages.
SDI Productions

With Ranked Choice Voting in NYC, Women Win

As New York prepares to choose its next city council and mayor in primaries this week, it’s worth remembering that the road to gender equality in the nation’s largest city has been long and slow.

Before 2021, New York’s 51-member council had always been majority male. Women hadn’t even gotten close to a majority. The best showing had been 18 seats, just a tick above 35 percent.

Keep ReadingShow less