When there is almost a month to go the elections in the United Statesthe director of the national cybersecurity agency firmly assured Americans that they will be able to trust the outcome of the elections, at a time when a chaotic wave of disinformation and electoral distrust has spread.
Election authorities at the state and local levels have made such progress in ensuring the security of the voting process, ballot counting and other infrastructure that the system is stronger than ever, said Jen Easterly, director of the Infrastructure Security and Cybersecurity Agency of United States (CISA, by its initials in English). As a result, he said, there is no way Russia, Iran or any other foreign adversary will be able to alter the outcome.
“Even if they tried to do so, it is impossible for malicious actors to have such a magnitude of impact that it would have a material effect on the outcome of the election,” Easterly said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The official expressed confidence in the electoral process at a time when intelligence officials have warned of growing efforts by foreign enemies to influence voters, increase partisan division and undermine confidence in U.S. elections.
Easterly’s statements contrast with the doubts that have plagued millions of Americans, particularly Republicans, since the 2020 election, when former President Donald Trump refused to accept his defeat. Since then he has reiterated his false claims that the elections were rigged, which has opened the door for him to claim that the elections were stolen from him in case he is defeated again next November.
During a 40-minute interview, Easterly discussed several concerns related to the election process, including misinformation, his agency’s role in interacting with social media companies and ongoing threats to election workers.
The interview took place at a time when mail-in ballots have already been sent and some states have already begun in-person early voting. Easterly also noted that his agency is in contact with election officials in all the southeastern regions of the United States hit by Hurricane Helene, and praised these workers for “demonstrating enormous and admirable resilience” as they try to ensure that voters can cast their ballot despite the devastation.
While acknowledging that many Americans’ confidence in the election “has been shaken,” Easterly emphasized how well election officials are prepared for emergencies, common mistakes and attacks, as well as how motivated they are to protect voters’ votes. citizenship.
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