Albuquerque, NM — Today, in expressing his “significant concern regarding the persistent threats to our election systems,” Attorney General Hector Balderas joined a total 22 attorneys general from around the country to urge Congress to take action to protect the integrity of America’s elections. Here is a statement from the AG's office:
In a letter addressed to key U.S. Senators, Attorney General Balderas and the other attorneys general ask Congress to provide additional election security grants to states and localities, support the establishment of cybersecurity and audit standards for election systems, and pass bipartisan election-security legislation.
“Make no mistake; our elections were attacked by Russian operatives in 2016, and they will be attacked again,” said Attorney General Hector Balderas. “Congress has a responsibility to take substantive steps to protect the integrity of our elections. The fate of our democracy is at stake.”
The attorneys general note warnings that “our election systems have been a target for foreign adversaries and that those same adversaries are currently working to undermine the upcoming elections.” Their letter follows confirmed reports that Russia successfully breached election systems in Florida, installed malware on a voting-systems software company used by North Carolina, and targeted the election systems of all 50 states in 2016.
Joining Attorney General Balderas in the letter are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington. Today’s letter follows up on a similar letter that attorneys general from 21 states sent to Congress in July 2018.