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“2024 Election Security Revamp: Get Ready for the Heat!

As the United States gears up for the 2024 election, the House of Representatives is readying an ambitious overhaul for election security. The new proposal will focus on boosting public confidence, thwarting cyber threats, and ensuring that every vote is counted. As the US battles “state-sponsored disruption and interference,” the House has identified the current system of election security as inadequate to safeguard against outside influences. The House’s measure would strengthen the patchwork of state and local voting procedures, providing a uniform set of standards to protect against the attempts at manipulation or interference from both domestic and foreign actors. It will set out a number of sweeping reforms, such as creating a federal system for cyber-attack detection and recovery, mandating voter registration databases with uniform security standards, and increasing the funding for election security. The measure will also create a new cybersecurity agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to monitor and protect the nation’s electoral system. Additionally, the legislation would establish a national board of election experts to provide counsel on security protocols and procedures, along with a panel of private sector experts to review and report on threats to the nation’s voting systems. The House’s bill is seen as necessary, given the number of attempts over the past several years to undermine democratic processes. It serves as a direct response to the concerns over election security raised by the US intelligence community ahead of the 2020 election. The legislation is sure to be met with resistance from the Senate, with Republicans taking issue with how much of the bill seeks expanded federal control over the electoral process. Whether the House’s measure will gain approval in the upper chamber or not remains to be seen, but they have made clear that this is an issue that is of immense importance to secure the integrity of future elections and the democratic process in the United States.