Fact check: How secure were electronic voting systems used in the 2024 election?

1. Summary of the results

The security of electronic voting systems used in the 2024 election faced significant challenges and vulnerabilities. Multiple unauthorized attempts to access voting system software were documented across several states, including Georgia, Michigan, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Nevada ^[1]. These breaches specifically affected equipment from two major voting system manufacturers - Dominion Voting Systems and Election Systems & Software, which together process over 70% of votes nationwide ^[1]. A group of nearly two dozen computer scientists and election security experts formally raised these concerns in a letter to federal agencies ^[1].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several crucial pieces of context are important to consider:

• While vulnerabilities exist, there is no evidence of actual vote manipulation in any election ^[2]
• 97% of votes are cast with a paper record, providing a crucial audit trail that serves as a security backup ^[2]
• Security experts at the DEF CON conference identified numerous vulnerabilities, with expert Harri Hursti noting that basic security issues remain unaddressed ^[3]
• The software breaches could potentially allow bad actors to:

Identify vulnerabilities

Practice potential attacks

• Fabricate evidence of vote tampering ^[1]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The question about security could lead to two problematic narratives:

• Those seeking to undermine election confidence might overemphasize the vulnerabilities while ignoring the paper trail safeguards
• Those defending the current system might downplay the serious nature of the security breaches

Key stakeholders who benefit from these narratives include:

• Voting machine manufacturers (Dominion and ES&S) benefit from minimizing security concerns
• Political actors may benefit from either emphasizing or dismissing security concerns depending on their agenda
• Security experts and consulting firms benefit from highlighting vulnerabilities as it may lead to more contracts and funding for security improvements

The reality lies between these extremes: while serious vulnerabilities exist and require attention ^[1], the presence of paper records and lack of evidence of actual manipulation ^[2] suggest that the system, while imperfect, maintains basic integrity through multiple safeguards.