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Transcript/Script
USAGM SHARE
((PLAYBOOK SLUG: US ELECTION SECURITY))
HEADLINE: US Election Officials Prioritize Security Ahead of November Presidential Vote
TEASER: Officials, analysts confident presidential election will run smoothly
PUBLISHED AT: 2/27/24 at 10:46A
BYLINE: Veronica Balderas Iglesias
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Alexandria, Virginia
VIDEOGRAPHER: Veronica Balderas Iglesias
VIDEO EDITOR: Veronica Balderas Iglesias
SCRIPT EDITORS: Aru Pande, Reifenrath, SV (bal)
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA, MRT, Agencies, Skype, see script for others
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT: 3:12
VID APPROVED BY:
TYPE:
EDITOR NOTES: for release on 2/27 -- Radio Tracks for Reversioning Included. Agencies’ logos that look lighter or different were burnt by the source.))
((INTRO))
[[U.S. election authorities say they are confident they will be able to fend off any security threats to the November presidential vote. In Alexandria, Virginia, VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias sat in on a training for election officers, one of several measures to ensure a free, fair and transparent vote. ]]
((NARRATOR))
Last month, top U.S. officials told Congress the U.S. presidential election will be fair and secure, thanks to tightening safeguards and increasing cooperation between federal, state, and local authorities.
[[RADIO INTRO: Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly]]
((Jen Easterly, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director))
“From cyber threats, from physical threats, from operational risks, and from foreign malign influence. // One thing to note, that it's the diversity and decentralization of our election infrastructure, because it's managed by state, by 8,800 separate jurisdictions around the country, that heterogeneity gives it resilience.”
((NARRATOR))
In the city of Alexandria, Virginia, for example, ballot scanners are not connected to the internet, thus making the process more secure against hacking attempts.
[[RADIO INTRO: says General Registrar and Director of Elections for the City of Alexandria Angie Maniglia-Turner]]
((Angie Maniglia-Turner, Alexandria Director of Elections))
“Additionally, we test the scanners prior to every election through a very intense logic and accuracy test to ensure that they are programmed properly.”
((NARRATOR))
To ensure a transparent process, the city is training up to 500 election officers for the primaries and the November election. They are learning about what the voting requirements are as well as how to operate the ballot scanners and certify the results of the precinct.
[[RADIO INTRO: Julie Podolsky was recently trained]]
((Julie Podolsky, Election Officer))
“How many people have checked in. How many, you know, ballots have gone through the machine, and it's happening all day long and different people are doing it. We rotate positions. So, there's no way that you're going to have an entire team of people coordinated in order to do anything shady at all.”
((NARRATOR))
Given the polarized political environment and potential threats, election officer Marc Dyer and others are also learning de-escalation techniques.
((Marc Dyer, Election Officer))
“Maybe once in a blue moon there will be someone who is belligerent or is having a bad day, a voter, but most of the time, it's been a pleasant experience.”
((NARRATOR))
Analysts interviewed by VOA also expect that, overall, the upcoming presidential election will run smoothly.
[[RADIO INTRO: Anton Dahbura is Executive Director of the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute]]
((Anton Dahbura, Johns Hopkins Information Security Institute)) ((Skype))
“There are many, many eyes on our election system, and adversaries don't really like that. They look for soft targets, things that people aren't really looking at. And so, I feel that for those reasons, there really won't be much of a security event of any around the 2024 elections.”
((NARRATOR))
But there is another kind of threat that voters should be aware of, voting advocates say.
[[RADIO INTRO: Susannah Goodman is Director of Election Security for the non-profit “Common Cause”]]
((Susannah Goodman, Common Cause Election Security Director)) ((Skype))
“There is mis- (information) and disinformation being sowed about the voting systems and how things work to undermine trust in our democratic process. I think that is actually a much bigger concern.”
((NARRATOR))
American voters are being encouraged to remain vigilant; volunteer as poll workers or observers themselves; and reach out to authorities if they have questions about how the election process works.
((Veronica Balderas Iglesias, VOA News, Alexandria, Virginia))
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