Voting Machines Have Flaws That Should Be Fixed, But Votes Not Stolen: Security Experts

Security experts say there are real flaws with voting machines that need to be fixed, but despite the many claims from former President Donald Trump and his supporters that the election was stolen from him, experts disagree, the Associated Press reported.

According to a sworn declaration, security expert J. Alex Halderman said he identified “multiple severe security flaws” in Georgia’s touchscreen voting machines that should be addressed to protect the integrity of elections.

However, Halderman told AP that he saw no evidence that the flaws were exploited during the 2020 election, yet “there remain serious risks that policymakers and the public need to be aware of” and need to be fixed for future elections.

For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.

The aftermath of the 2020 election put an intense spotlight on voting machines as supporters of former President Donald Trump claimed victory was stolen from him.

Trump loyalists—pushing the slogan “Stop the Steal”—held rallies, posted on social media and filed lawsuits in key states, often with false claims about Dominion Voting Systems voting machines. Almost all of the legal challenges casting doubt on the outcome of the election have been dismissed or withdrawn and many claims of fraud debunked. State and federal election officials have said there’s no evidence of widespread fraud. And Dominion has fought back forcefully, filing defamation lawsuits against high-profile Trump allies.

As an election security researcher, it’s been frustrating to watch the proliferation of misinformation, said Matt Blaze, a professor of computer science and law at Georgetown University. For years, he said, concerns raised by election security experts were dismissed as unimportant.

“All of a sudden, people are going the other way, saying the existence of a flaw not only is something that should be…