US Intelligence Agency Explores Voting Machine Security in Puerto Rico Amid Trump's Election Interference Claims
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has obtained and examined electronic voting machines in Puerto Rico as part of a broader effort to identify potential security vulnerabilities. The move was reportedly made at the request of Puerto Rican authorities, who voluntarily handed over their equipment for evaluation.
This development comes amid controversy surrounding President Donald Trump's claims that future elections are at risk of being manipulated by foreign actors. Trump has called on the federal government to take control of the voting process in certain states, sparking concerns about election interference and the potential for presidential overreach.
Gabbard's Office at Center of Controversy
ODNI Director Tulsi Gabbard was present last week at an FBI search of an election center in Fulton County, Georgia, where agents seized ballots from the 2020 election. This move has been criticized as a political stunt by some lawmakers and experts.
The Constitution clearly states that state governments are responsible for overseeing elections, but federal agencies have offered guidance on how to secure voting machines in the past. Democrats in Congress have accused Trump of planning to use the federal government to interfere with vote counting in key states during the upcoming midterm elections.
Puerto Rico's Voting Systems Under Scrutiny
The ODNI's examination of Puerto Rico's voting systems revealed concerning cybersecurity and operational deployment practices that pose a significant risk to US elections. Specifically, the agency found issues related to the use of cellular modems that connect to networks outside the United States.
While some experts have expressed skepticism about the significance of these findings, others have highlighted similar vulnerabilities in other jurisdictions. Mark Lindeman, policy director at Verified Voting, noted that Puerto Rico's voting systems are not unique and that the ODNI's investigation may be more focused on justifying their involvement than identifying meaningful security issues.
The move by Gabbard's office has been criticized by some lawmakers, who argue that there is no evidence of foreign interference in Puerto Rico's elections. The lack of clear explanations from the Trump administration has fueled concerns about election integrity and the role of government agencies in protecting the voting process.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has obtained and examined electronic voting machines in Puerto Rico as part of a broader effort to identify potential security vulnerabilities. The move was reportedly made at the request of Puerto Rican authorities, who voluntarily handed over their equipment for evaluation.
This development comes amid controversy surrounding President Donald Trump's claims that future elections are at risk of being manipulated by foreign actors. Trump has called on the federal government to take control of the voting process in certain states, sparking concerns about election interference and the potential for presidential overreach.
Gabbard's Office at Center of Controversy
ODNI Director Tulsi Gabbard was present last week at an FBI search of an election center in Fulton County, Georgia, where agents seized ballots from the 2020 election. This move has been criticized as a political stunt by some lawmakers and experts.
The Constitution clearly states that state governments are responsible for overseeing elections, but federal agencies have offered guidance on how to secure voting machines in the past. Democrats in Congress have accused Trump of planning to use the federal government to interfere with vote counting in key states during the upcoming midterm elections.
Puerto Rico's Voting Systems Under Scrutiny
The ODNI's examination of Puerto Rico's voting systems revealed concerning cybersecurity and operational deployment practices that pose a significant risk to US elections. Specifically, the agency found issues related to the use of cellular modems that connect to networks outside the United States.
While some experts have expressed skepticism about the significance of these findings, others have highlighted similar vulnerabilities in other jurisdictions. Mark Lindeman, policy director at Verified Voting, noted that Puerto Rico's voting systems are not unique and that the ODNI's investigation may be more focused on justifying their involvement than identifying meaningful security issues.
The move by Gabbard's office has been criticized by some lawmakers, who argue that there is no evidence of foreign interference in Puerto Rico's elections. The lack of clear explanations from the Trump administration has fueled concerns about election integrity and the role of government agencies in protecting the voting process.
. And Gabbard's office being involved in this FBI search thing? seems fishy to me 
. Don't get me wrong, cybersecurity is important and all, but I'm not sure why the ODNI needs to step in. shouldn't be that hard to figure out how to secure voting machines on your own 
. and what's up with Trump wanting to take control of the voting process? feels like he's trying to exert some kinda control or something 
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. I mean, come on, can't we just focus on securing our voting systems without making it a huge deal? Puerto Rico's got some legit security concerns, like using cellular modems that connect to networks outside the US. That's not exactly rocket science, folks! But no, now everyone's talking about Tulsi Gabbard and Trump's election interference claims... Meanwhile, we should be working on actual solutions, not just trying to one-up each other with conspiracy theories 
. Can't we just have a calm discussion about how to improve our voting systems? Geez.
. As a DIYer, I'm all about making sure our elections are secure 
. The fact that they're using cellular modems connected to networks outside the US is like, major red flag 
. We can't let foreign actors hack into our votes, you know? 
, but it does seem like there's a lot of politics going on here 
. Trump's been making some pretty wild claims about election interference, and now this ODNI investigation is just fueling the fire 
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. They need to be secure, and we need to make sure they are 
. Puerto Rico's got a lot of issues to work through, but this is definitely one thing we should be prioritizing 
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That would be a huge step back for democracy... and also, what about Puerto Rico's autonomy? 
. This whole thing just reeks of partisan politics 
. Can we just focus on securing our voting systems without all the drama? 
! Like, I totally get why President Trump is worried about election interference, but can't he just calm down and let the experts handle it? 
. That wouldn't be fair, right? It's kinda like that with elections - we need to make sure our votes are counted accurately and securely 
That doesn't sound good... it's like they're using a public Wi-Fi hotspot to vote online without anyone watching 
And what's up with Tulsi Gabbard's office being in the middle of this? It seems like a major PR stunt 
. But seriously, it's really concerning that US intelligence agencies are getting involved with election security in Puerto Rico. Like, what's going on? Is it just a coincidence that Trump is making all these claims about election interference and now we're seeing the ODNI investigating their voting systems too? 
and now Gabbard's office is involved too which is just a huge conflict of interest... like who do you trust? 
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, but we need more than just an investigation to fix these issues. We need concrete action from the government and some much-needed education on election security for the general public 
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... and what's up with Trump's claims that the gov't should take control of voting machines? isn't that like, the opposite of how it's supposed to work? 
... this whole thing is just so worrying and it feels like no one's taking the right actions to fix the problem 
It's like they're trying to create a patchwork quilt out of different states' election laws 
. And what's up with all these agencies getting involved? Can't we just let the states handle it? 
. The thing is, Puerto Rico's voting systems are a hot mess too 
... I mean, using cellular modems to connect to networks outside the US? That's not exactly secure