DHS Designating Election Infrastructure As ‘Critical’ In Order To Fight Tampering

In this Nov. 1, 2016, photo, a voter is reflected in the glass frame of a poster while leaving a polling site in Atlanta, during early voting ahead of the Nov. 8 election day. If all goes smoothly, the American peopl... In this Nov. 1, 2016, photo, a voter is reflected in the glass frame of a poster while leaving a polling site in Atlanta, during early voting ahead of the Nov. 8 election day. If all goes smoothly, the American people will choose a new president on Tuesday, the Electoral College will affirm the election and either Democrat Hillary Clinton or Republican Donald Trump will take the oath of office Jan. 20. (AP Photo/David Goldman) MORE LESS
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson says he’s designating U.S. election systems as critical infrastructure, a move that will provide more federal help for states to keep election systems safe from tampering.

Johnson tells The Associated Press that the designation “is simply the right and obvious thing to do,” particularly in these times.

The move comes despite opposition from many states worried that the designation would lead to increased federal regulation or oversight on the many decentralized and locally run voting systems across the country.

A declassified U.S. intelligence report released Friday says Russian President Vladimir Putin “ordered” an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the U.S. presidential election.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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