Transcripts For CSPAN2 State 20240704

Isaac kramer, executive director of Charleston County, South Carolina board of registration and elections. Janay nelson, president and director of the naacp Legal Defense fund. Were also going■ to hear from our other witnesses. Not for any omission, but because senator fisher will be introducing them. That includes alabama, secretary of state wes allen and brian cruz, election commissioner for the Douglas County, nebraska election commission. More americans than ever have cast a ballot in cent elections, and it is in large part because of the work of state and local officials. And these elections he run smoothly and topped Security Officials in both republican and democratic administrations to the likes have confirmed the security o elections including last weeks primary elections. 18 states have already held primaries this year. In fact our witnesses, secretary benson, secretary allen, and mr. Kramer have overseen primary elections this year already. Are many more to go before the general election in november including three states, georgia, mississippi, and washington. In which voters are casting ballots today. With voting already underway, we are here to discuss the key issues facing the state and local Election Officials on the front lines of our democracy. One area of particular urgency is Artificial Intelligence. We have already seen how a. I. Can be used topr about elections like the fake robocalls using the president s voice, telling people not to vote in New Hampshire, which is now under investigation by the states Republican Attorney general. We must work across the aisle to protect our elections from these threats. And all of the witnesses at our hearing last fall agree we need to put guardrails in place that is whew im leading a bipartisan bill with senator holly, cons,■l collins, senator bennett and rickets, and it has brought support on both sides of the aisle to prohibit fraudulent ai generated deep fakes in our elections. Ed deep fakes in our but we■b■b are very concerned at what we have seen and just bits of ads and videos that have gone out that attack candidates on both sides of the aisle, but they are complete deep fakes, and you cant even tell its not the candidate. We also need to in addition to banning deceptive deep fakes. We also need disclaimers when ai is used in other ways. Last week i introduced a bipartisan bill with senator Lisa Murkowski to require transparency and add substantially generated by ai. So that whether you are a republican or democrat, voters will know if the ads they see are making use of this technology. We got some guidance from the hearing we had earlier last year that we dont want those labels to apply to every single thing when ai is used, so we have defined that in a way that will make it easier to but i cannot emphasize on how important i believe it is to also pass the deep fake bill. Finally since ai could make it so much easier to spread disinformation about things like Voter Registration, deadlines, or polling locations. R load in a question i should say, and ask well, what about■1 they often have lines, where should they vote . And im making up the numbers now, but 123 elmtreet didnt even exist. Clearly they have work to do, so we have concerns about that as well. We must tackle these issues head on. One way is the work that we are doing to require the election assist so the officials are prepared to meter these challenges. Six states including my state of minnesota and secretary benson, state of michigan have passed new laws to address ai and more than three dozen states have bills pending both red and blue states. But we cannot rely on a patch work of state laws and Congress Must act. Election workers including volunteers also continue to face a barrage of threats and intimidation. We have heard testimony in this committee from officials from both parties about threats targeting them and their families. It is no surprise that a survey last yearne in three Election Officials said that they have been abused, harassed, threatened. One in five said that they kno e to safety concerns. This has a real impact in how elections are run including efforts to recruitollast novembr more than a dozen anonymous letters, some containing fentanyl were sent tolen offices in at least six states, leading to evacuations and delays. And that is where senator fisher and i called on the Justice Department to prioritize investigating these incidents, and why i lead a bill with senator durbin and 26 cosponsors to protect election workers from intimidation and threats. In addition it is critical as ever that state and local governmes have reliable federal funding to maintain election infrastructure, keep pace with new technology, and combat cybersecurity threats. Election security is truly national security. And these investments must be prioritized as our intel agencies continue to warn about foreign adversaries trying to influence our elections. I have heard from officials in red, blue, purple states about the need to get steady funding when it comes to election. Finally ill note that in many states, voters continue to face new laws that will make it harder to vote with a major hearing on that this morning in the Judiciary Committee with senator warnock to talk about the john lewis Voting Rights bill. We also need basis federal standards like those contained in the freedom to vote act that i lead along with many of my colleagues including the democrats on this committee. I will not give up until they become the law of thed we trulyd to have federal Voting Rights protections for the citizens of this country. I want to thank our witnesses for being here and i look forward to hearing the testimony. And to prepare for our elections. Turn it overo Ranking Member fisher. Good afternoon and thank you, chairwoman for holding this hearing and thha you to all of our witnesses for being here today. And three states conduct an election and one week after super tuesday, we will hear from state and local Election Officials from across the country. And about one of the most ndamental aspects of our democracy. The administration is a free and fair election. We look forward to learning about how jurisdictions are preparing for the upcoming elections. When voters cast ballots. He it is also the combination of months of preparation by state and local Election Officials to ensure every voter can fulfill their civic duty and in the democratic process. Election officials will maintain voter rules, train poll workers and volunteers. And and test voting equipment. Prepare ballots, and educate the public about the upcoming elections. Well every four years they step in to a brighter spotlight. These hard working a individuals address election add min station challenges for every election regardless of what is on the ballot. On top of the cybersecurity and physical security of election infrastructure, Election Officials must rcecruit and tran the next generation of poll workers, while also retaining experienced poll workers. They also work hard to ensure voter confidence in the electoral process, and the ultimate outcome of the elections. Im interested in hearing from our witnesses, how they adapt to the changing landscape to ensure election integrity. I also understand not only the challenges, Election Officials face, but whether the existirces are working as intended to ease those challenges. Our Founding Fathers providedsty responsibility of administering elections under our constitution. Resulting the diversity of election systems is a strength of our democracy. I look forward to a productive discussion and extend my sincere appreciation to our witnesses for being here today as they are in the midst of preparations for the 2024 elections. Thank you all. Thank you very much, senator fischer. And ill introduce three of the witnesses and we will introduce the remaining two. Our first witness is michigan secretary state jocelyn benson. A role she has held since her election in 2018. Previously she served as dean at Wayne State Law School and received her bachelors degree from welsley. Our next witness is isaac kramer of the board of Voter Registration and elections for Charleston County South Carolina, where he has served for a decade and was appointed executive director in 2021. He a graduate of wheaton college. Then we have janay wilson. Welcome again. President a director of council of the naacp Legal Defense fund. She began her career at ldf as an extern before she was a full bright scholar in ghana. She returned as the Association Director of council and assumed the role of president in march tu of 2022. She received her bachelors degree from nyu, and her law degree from the university of li, los angeles. Senator fischer . Thank you, i thank all of our witnesses for being here today. We have with us mr. Brian kruse who serves for Douglas County. And was recently reappointed for a third term. Ive had the privilege of working with him to serve nebraskans for many years. He has come from omaha, nebraska to be with us today, as we have direct flights. Thank you. Thank you, madam chairman and Ranking Member fischer for your continued leadership on this committee. It is a pleasure to introduce secretary allen today at this hearing. Wes allen serves as alabamas 54th secretary of state where he is our states chief election official. Hired to his current office, secretary allen spent a decade in pike county, alabama as probate judge, which is the county senior election official. He was then elected to the Alabama House of representatives, where he served as the vice chair of the legislatures Constitution Campaign and election committees. Secretary allen is honored to appear in this committee. Thank you for being here. If the witnesses will stand and now raise their right hand. Do you swear that the testimony give me a second. Do you swear that the testimony you will give before the Committee Shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing, but the truth . So helphank you, you may now proceed, and we will recognize you each for a fiveminute statement starting with secretary benson. And i will leave some time, thanks. Secretary benson . Thank you, chair klobuchar. Its an honor to be joining you today for this important hearing. These next eight months, it will define the future of our country and our democracy. And as michigans chief election officer, that reality is clear to me every day. Both as we work to ensure our elections are safe and secure, and in our efforts to protect every voter and election official from the lies, threats, deceptive tactics that continue to play our democracy. Its been a challenging few years for us. Yet our democracy is getting stronger. First voter on the rise from 2020 when we saw more citizens vote than ever before to 2022 when michigan led the nation and used engaged and they are voting. Second, the number of ways voters could participate in our elections will continue to expand from the right to vote from homes to early voting to traditional election day voting places. Michigans experience underscores that the expansion of options to vote directly leads to higher Voter Participation. Across the political spectrum in every election. But it is the chief elections offnd state. I know these successes do not tell the whole story. We will go into this election cycle, expecting bad actors to use misinformation, turbo charged through ai, and to divide, deceive, and deter Voter Participation throughout our country. Im not just talking about deep fakes. Ai will also make it easier to mislead voters about the voting process or even conditions at a polling place. And imagine atext warning, sayie long lines at a precinct or another seeing a social media post changing because of flooding. All of these could be false and all of these could deter participation. The realities of ai underscore the need for federal investment in our elections. Ai introduces a level of speed, scale, and sophistication that is difficult for to handle on or own. Federal funds will help us to support and bolster our state cybersecurity infstructuron to address this evolving threat. We also need the department of Homeland Security to be more aggressive in identifying and combating threats and to notifying local officials and states with critical security information. Helping us ensure voters know what to do when they encounter deceptive election practices. At the state level in michigan, we are doing our part. We have enacted laws to require disclaimers and disclosure of political advertisements generated with ai. And we have made it a crime for anyone to knowingly andptively i generated deep fakes. But now we need to do your part. As u. S. Senators, you can protect every voter in this country from the harmful affects of deceptive ai generated content by passing the protect elections and deceptive ai act. Finally we cannot have a secured democracy if we do not protect the security of the people who protect our democracy. Administrators increasingly forces us to endure harassment, false and malicious attacks on our character, and threats of ecause of lies about our work and our integrity. On a morning walk throughout the neighborhood, detroit city clerk Janice Winfrey waspp her youre going y dearly for your actions in this election. Oakland county elections director was recently threatened that he would be hanged for treason. Former Rochester Hills clerk received a voicemail saying 10 million patrons will surround you, and that she deserves a knife to the throat. These are just a few examples of what the Election Administrators endured and it is misinformation that will increase. So do the threats. We all have a duty to protect the people who protect democracy. And in michigan, we made it a state crime to intimidate an election official with the specific intent of interfering with the officials duties. This should be a federal crime. Election officials are professionals. We are nonpartisan. We put voters first. We are firmly committed to ensuring every citizen. Can use to drive this year and every year. Thank you. Thank you so much for that, secretary allen. Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. I appreciate the opportunity to speak to you today about election security. As alabama secretary of state, i serve as the states chief election official and work closely with the probate judges circuit court, poll workers, boards of registrars, who are all an integral part of our elections process at the local level in each of our 67 counties. When i took the oath of office 14 months ago, i made it a top priority to ensure that our elections are fair and secure, so that every eligible voter who wishes to cast a vote in any election in our state could dooj so their vote would e properly counted. Elections are the bedrock of our constitutional republic, and it is my constitutional duty to ensure our elections are conducted with integrity, honesty, and accuracy. Voter registration and voter file maintenance are the foundation of election integrity. Registered voters can choose to participate in elections in alabama with the confidence that our election process secure because alabama has ten steps, solid steps in our state to ensure election integrity. We have enacted legislation in alabama that will make it illegal for any to be connected to the internet. Alabama state law requires a use of paper ballots in all elections. Each of o verify their identity with photo identification at his or her polling place. If they do not have a for voting purposes, my office will send someone to the location of their choice, even their home, to issue them a voter i. D. Upon request. Proper voter file maintenance is essential and a preserving confidence in elections. Just this year with the help of the dedicated team of the office of secretary of state is to establish the alabama voter integrity data base. And for the first time in our states history, we have been approved to directly cross check our voter file with the master index, maintained by the Social Security administration, so when an alabama voter dies in another state, we are able to identify and remove that individual from our voter file. Quickly removing and from our voter file will allow us to maintain a more accurate voter file. Every state should be able to do this and excessive federal regulations will make it mor ite for states to accept this important information. You, as members of the United States senate, can remove these obstacles and make this information available. It enables us to work with the Law Enforcement agency to receive notifications of alabama licensed drivers over the age of 18 who have received a drivers lice i maintain by the United States Postal Service to our voter file, we identified registered alabama voters who have requested to have their mail to move to a location outside the state. For the first time in our states history, with■c each of the border states, allowing us to identify people who have registered to vote in alabama and a border state. Voters identified are possibly through any of these messages received from their county board of registrar and asking them to confirm their relocation and update their Voter Registration information. And to date we have through abbott identified 109,709 alabama voters who likely relocated outside the state. We cannot quickly remove them from the alabama voter file. The national Voter Registration act of 1993 also known as the ndra mandates that we wait four years to make such a recommendan to this body to increase confidence in our elections, it would be to shorten the fouryear waiting period, mandated, especially considering the fact that statetostate movers account for 19. 9 of all relocations according to the u. S. Census bureau. The fouryear waiting period will allow an individual to remain in a voter file, in a state, in which they no longer live for several elections, including a president ial election. A u. S. Senate election, a gubernatorial election, two congressional elections, and numerous local elections. Four years quite frankly is too long. This federal law will require the secretaries of state to knowingly maintain inaccurate voter list amending the ndra to shorten the fouryear waiting period that will increase the voter confidence and result in moree accurate ones across the country. And again, thank you for your time. Its been an honor and a privilege to appear before you today. Thank you. You very much, secretary. Mr. Kramer . Chairwoman klobuchar and members of the committee. I want to thank you for having me hereed, im the executive director of the board of elections and have the privilege of serving as the vice chair for the National Association of the county and as a member of the United States Election Assistance Commission board of advisers. I cannot overstate the at any topic involving Election Administration. We are the frontline workers responsible for ensuring smooth elections nationwide. Left a permanentar on my life, igniting politics, and then the Election Administration. Im here testifying before you because of her hard work and determination. As we stand in the threshold of another crucial election cycle is important for us as Election Administrators to draw from the lessons of the past, to strengthen the foundation of our democracy for the future. When we reflect on the preparations for this upcoming year in charlestoounty, our main concerns revolve around three pivotal needs and these are crucial. The protection of Election Officials, the security ofs, ane assurance of adequate federal funding. The safety and well being of our election personnel is at the heart of our operational concerns. During the june 2022 primaries, our polling places became battlegrounds for these disruptive elements through the democratic process. A local group travels to each polling place. They harass the poll workers. At several locations, they actually called Law Enforcement to arrest our poll workers. Just to be clear, south to have Law Enforcement enter a polling place unless they have been summoned by the majority of poll workers. And one of the for all of you on the team tomorrow, good hunting. You know what youre looking for. We have thenemy on their back foot press the attacks forward. And the enemies hes referring to were his neighbors. Good people who are just tryingo carry out the duty, their civic duty of the democratic process. And as our lead poll manager returns from that night, many felt unsafe. I believe Charleston County could be a model though for other Election Officials across the country, tin how they could make their polling places safe and their voters safe. Our office meets monthly with the counterthreat manager and our local enforcement, emergency management, and public safety. Together we are enhancing our training for active shooters, and also how to mitigate any disturbance at the polls, and ho to communicate in highly stressful situations. We hosted our first ever election last year and Law Enforcement guide that we will give to all of our partners, so they know what to do if they get a call. Charleston county has made substantial investments to the election process through building upgrades, surveillance systems, also giving us access contl mechanism that are imperative for any potential threat in our operations. And i want to say this is clear. Numerous counties, rural and urban, they will need an infusion of federal funds to improve the security of their election infrastructure and that is very vital to the security of our elections. South carolina is one of not pay to the county level. This needs to change. Congress needs to give us the ability, the cnties, those funds, so we could have a direct access because were the ones who will run elections day to day. This year we have a huge effort to rru the next generation of poll workers as many of them have left due to what razzments and apply for funding. Awarding 1 million to support the help of the college program. They would receive 76,000 for Innovative Program in that poll worker. We have created a day, which will allow the county employees to serve on election day and those who participate, they get that pay on top of the administrative leave with pay and over 15 of the poll workers in 2023 were county employees. And serving as poll workers will greatly boost the■o trust of the process. And they remember a day when they were simple and they have now become more complex and the stakes have neverd we need thei. You can pass the election act or other proposals that will strengthen their safety. And anyone that wld threaten officials. And to protect the election workers, counties will see increased resignation and struggle to recruit and retain seasonal poll workers. In South Carolina over 70 have left their post since 2020. Im often asked why am i still in this profession . If it is really a simple answer for me, then i believe in the United States of america and the freedoms we enjoy. Im able to serve great country by providing the mechanism by which the country was founded. The ability to give everyone a voice in shaping the future and direction for voting. The administrators need the support of congress now more than ever toour elections. Very good. Thank mr. Cramer. Mr. Kruse . Chairwoman klobuchar and Ranking Members, i appreciate the invitation before the committee this afternoon. My name is brian kruse, im the Douglas County election commissioner. One of the most important aspects of Election Administration is trust and fairness in conducting and managing elections. In nebraska we have the Gold Standard for Election Administration. First and foremost, we use paper ballots. Voters receive a paper ballot whether it will be for election day voting. The tabulating mac are never connected to the internet or to each other, and these machines are used preelection. Following the election and before results are official, a thorough canvas or audit is conducted as the manual audit directed by the secretary of States Office and there is a paper trail. Our office prepares for election cycle by reviewing and updating procedures for each department to ensure tha■,t each Voter Registration, candidate filing, early voting request, ballot, or petition signature is processed according to the statutes and using consistent rules and guidelines. When processing thousands of records and training seasonal staff, it is important to ensure that correct procedures are being followed. Early voting by mail can be secured t and accurate method of voting if administrated properly. And for polling place elections, nebraska law will require voters inhenties who choose to vote by mail to request an early voting or absentee ballot prior to each election as they cannot automatically be sent. Signatures and now voter i. D. S are checked at the time of each request is processed. If they are not met, the ballot willas not be met. Signatures are checked again. Drop boxes in Douglas County are secure under 24 7 surveillance cameras and emptied each week by two individuals of different parties. And i encourage voters to use one of our boxes as they are the most direct way to return election mail. The voter places the item in the box and the election workers will pick them up. There are no third parties involved. Voters in Douglas County across all have embraced the drop boxes. On average, 77 of all by mail ballots are returned via one of our drop boxes. And it vitsuccessful elections. Officials are the trusted source for getting the message out about elections. Im fortunate and grateful that i have a Good Relationship with the local media, tv, radio, print, as they assist in my office in to disseminating accurate and timely information. The big task this election cycle for nebraska is the implementation of the voter i. D. And making sure they know what is needed both for by mail and early voting and election day in order for them to be heard. The media is a vital partner in remaining voters of deadlines and other helpful guides to make the process successful. For instance working with our office to create a flowchart of the voter i. D. Options. My chief deputy election commissioner and myself can attend as many as election educn and answer questions, and build relationships. These relationships have forged trust and haves office in corry informing voters of changes related to elections. In nebraska, we are also u we he law, the only state, which will allow for poll workers to be drafted, similar to jury duty. The only county that conducted a draft for many years. Some advantages to drafting poll workers are increased Community Awareness of the election process and less difficulty in securing election workers, and a younger work force with the average age in the mid50s. While the majority of poll workers nationwide are over 60. In conclusion, it is my privilege to serve the voters of Douglas County. And in order to be here representing the 93 county Election Officials in nebraska who work diligently to conduct accurate elections. I encourage all citizens from coast to coast to go and have your voices heard on election day. Thank you for inviting me today, and thank you to the committee for your time. Thank you verynelson . Chair klobuchar and members. Im janai nelson. Im the director of lds, formerly the naacp Legal Defense tional fund. Thank you for the opportunity to testify about the state of Voting Rights for black americans. Both on the ground and in the courts, about the urgent need to protect and secure the fundamental freedom to vote. My testimony is informed by lds extensive experience over 80 years, advancing rights for black americans since our founding by Thurgood Marshall in 1940. And it is also informed by the on the ground election protecti w that we must do every election cycle in order to ensure that black voters can cast a ballot and have it was th anniversary of bloody sunday when patriots, like genre lewis were brutally beaten i selma, alabama for simply demanding the right to vote. And their courage and action led to the passage of the Voting Rights act of and the true start of our multiracial democracy. We need congress to follow in the steps of those foot soldiers with courage and action today. It is it has been more than a decade since the Shelby County decision where the sup court gutted the heart of the act. In the decade of congressional in action, states that were subject to preclearance have aggressively and systematically trampled on Voting Rights, especially those of black citizens. Alabama, north carolina, texas an of discrimination advanced harsh voting restrictions within days, even hours of the shelby decision and a wave of Voter Suppression followed across the country. More recently, the big lie and other myths to undermine faith in our elections have stoked a backlash against voters of color, some state of targeted the precise pathways to the polls that black voters have used in recent years weather is a limit aiding or limiting drop boxes in florida, early voting in georgia, or vote by mail in texas. Artificial intelligence is being weapon eyes did to advance frivolous mass challenges to registered voters in georgia and this is gaing traction through programs like eagle ai as a nationwide strategy to distort the incre threatens to turbocharge disinformation campaigns historically targeted at black voters. Despite decades of progress towards becoming a more inclusive, just and equal democracy we are swiftly moving in the opposite direction. Alabama, black and white voter turnout was nearly equal in 2012 but a decade after selby, black nearly 8 Percentage Points behind white voter turnout, georgia has the largest Racial Disparity and turnout in 2,022 than at any point in the last decade. And the 2020 redistricting cycle was rife with discrimination. Of the 9 states previously subject to preclearance, 2 thirdsg their maps for racial just, nation. Federal courts have already found in three of our recent cases, alabama, South Carolina and louisiana, that the states created racial discover the tory districting maps, congressional maps. Lets be clear. While lds is fighting in the courts along with our other civil rights sisters and brothers, we cannot litigate out of this problem but congress can legislate pledge black americans are headed into november with a shredded shield. As a result of the Shelby County decision the Voting Rights act is a shadow of its former self precisely when we need strong voting right protections in states of rising authoritarianism, distractive Court Decisions combined with the inaction by congress, have stripped them away. The state of Voting Rights for black americans is tenuous and that is an urgent crisis for our democracy and this congress. The president issued a powerful call to action in last union he named the specific solutions that were reintroduced in both chambers. The john lewis Voting Rights advancement act and the freedom to vote act, both of which we call on congress to pass. The right to vote preserves every right that we hold dear. It is an effective, nonviolent means of expressing our will. Protecting the right to vote should not be a matter of partisan politics. Its the duty of all elected officials to honor and protect the sacred act that has enabled them to serve. Thank you and i look forward to your questions. Thank you, miss nelson. Senator warner will take my spot becaue as chair of the Intel Committee so he has some interest in protecting our elections and then we will turn over to senator fisher and go from there. Thank you, madam chairman and thank you for holding this critically important hearing and i appreciate our panel here. We had the worldwide threats briefing from fbi, cia, od and i, nsa, all of our Intelligence Community across the board and Law Enforcement, they indicate, and i believe we need more hearings like this and appreciate senator fishers involvement as well and in many ways we are less protects then we were in 2020. And thats a pretty stunning fact and there are four reasons why this is the case. Im talking about interference from foreign malign influence, number one, a number of our adversaries have seen how cheap and effectivet is to interfere in our elections. The template that was laid out by russia in 2016 was pennies on the dollar, thinking abou d cheaper to use technology to disrupt and undermine another nationstates elections that is to purchase airplanes, submarines, and tanks. Russia continues not just in our elections but elections around europe, around the world, china has picked up some of these techniques as well. Iran, other nationstates as well so we have a series of nations led by russia who realizes interfering in our effects on americas position in terms of support of ukraine, their interest level is high, number one. Number 2, this is the nature of our politics today, americans on either end of the political agenda have much lesfait in many of our institutions, much less faith, in particular in the integrity of our election system. Number 3, theres a case, in missouri, the fifth circuit put out a ruling in last july. The Supreme Court is revolving it now. Literally, prevents voluntary communication between our government and social Media Companies. In the aftermath of the 2016 incursion, the ceo of facebook, Mark Zuckerberg said repeatedly in public if the federal government has evidence of russians or other entities being on please share that with us. In a bipartisan fashion led by then chairman richard burr the intelligence committ, shared that information, and i have to say all throughout the Trump Administration and in this case the trump admintr right, there was voluntary sharing that went backandforth on a regular basis so if nsa found evidence of foreign malign influence that could be shared on a voluntary basis with other companies and vice v. As of last july, until two weeks ago there have been no communication between those social media platforms. A lot of this disinformation takes place in the government. Finality, i know the panel has talked about this already, we have the whole advent of Artificial Intelligence. Ai brings at a scale and speed tools to interfere, ■gmisinfor we know about deep fakes in terms of our images and voices. It can happen at a scale and speed which i have appreciation from the secretaries of state here, if you guys, theres no way you can keep up with. I feel it is critically important we do a better job in a bipartisan fashion of educating the American Public that this problem has not gone away, that our adversaries wish us will, we have enough divisions between americans in terms of our political views, we have torselves, that is app, but to somehow have this overl misinformed by foreign malign influences, incredibly problematic. I know my caucus, if you could briefly, a system that is voluntarily set know by folks from the Trump Administration that unfortunately states have exited, you decided to come in thanks for allowing me to get that question in. I want to address what you were talking about with the threats of misinformation but michigan has been a member since 2019 and found it to be really effective message to collaborate with the current membership, 24 other states and washington dc, to ensure what my colleagues in alabama are talking about, that we are able to do collaboratively with states around the country quite effectively increasing the accuracyf voter rolls through what heretofore has been the most secure and effective bipartisan collaboration to protect the integrity of our elections that are election administered in system has ever seen. It has been victimized by a lot of misinformatn and underscores how this harms the security of our democracy. As you just said, very clearly, one thing we are not talking enough about, our foreign adversaries to this country have greater incentive than ever before in this election cycle to interfere with our election process. Will interfe with our processes is not by trying to farm our infrastructure. Our elections are secure, we use paper ballots, we have audits, several layers of security in place to protect every voice and every vote and ensure every eligible voted all the eligible votes are counted. Misinformation in foreign threats will affect our elections through ai, multiscale attempts to fool voters about their rights in an effort to cause confusion and chaos and instill fear in an effort to deceive voters, to divide us as americans and to deter us from believing in our voice and our vote. In that effort to combat that effort, we must invest in our citizens, boost trusted messengers from all sectors and all parties and collaborate more than we ever have before to ensurwe are marching forward, arms locked, to protect every citizens voice in this election from efforts to fool them about their voice and their votes. The federal government must be a partner in that effort, must be a collaborative partner in that effort working with all of us to ensure that we are recognizing what my lines our election system isnt left or right, it is feign interference that could cause every citizen in this country to stop believing not just in their institutions but in their own voice and against that we can all fight proudly, i believe and be successful if we do it together. Thank you, senator warner. As a member of the Armed Services committee, i am wel aware of the malign activities that we see from our foreign adversaries but i know that Election Officials also worry about infrastructure and still worry about the increase that we see from cybersecurity threats and whether it is threats to the infrastructure it self or government websites or Voter Registration databases, secretary allen, could you tell us about how alabama has worked to mitigate potential cybersecurity threats and whether you have encountered any unique challenges in this process and see some of those threats changing over time as well . Thank you. We work closely with our office of Information Technology tha oversees our statewide agencies in the backbone of our it department, we have an inhouse it department as well that we collaborate with these agencie with the fbi, dhs, quite frequently especially over the last several months getting prepared for the primary we had last week, getting prepared for the runoff coming up in certain parts of alabama in april, to the general election in november. So we have many conversations on cyber, thats one thing we take very seriously. Onle have someone there from our office of Information Technology, statewide office, someone from our own our office as unofficial returns come and in the evening and to make sure theres ever anything that pops up on our radar that we are able to answer them very quickly but to mitigate any kind of potential threats that alabama. We work across the many platforms to make sure we are ready to fend off any cyberattacks in alabama. Thank you. Cruz, what are the unique challenges local Election Officials face in mitigating those cybersecurity threats . If you turn the mic on. The big one obviously would be the disinformation if someone were to hack a website of ours and try to change something of that nature also, aim person aiding myself, perhaps saying, deadline changes were place changes, things of that nature. We are fortunate in the factor unfortunate in the fact that in Douglas County,lled dot. Com, t omaha technology commission, a joint venture, they are the perts on technology, cybersecurity and things of that nature so they provide all of that. We have two gentlemen inhouse, they created our website, maintain our website so if something were to happen, we hopefully could fix it inhouse fairly quickly, and thirdparty for that. We can change things instantly using them to get messages out. I think from the local election official perspective, we hear all the time that voters trust ear a lot the we believe may be there was fraud or misinformation or something and someplace else but not our jurisdiction. So really, having trust in your community, your voters and media outlets, so when issues do occur, you can contact them and get the correct information out. You talked in your Opening Statement about the information you provide to voters in this county and Good Relationship with the media. You also mentioned postelection audit process. Could you talk a little bit about the benefits that these absolutely. Ide to the voters in that is administered by the secretary of States Office so the morning after the election the secretary of States Office randomly pick certain precincts and certain races for counties to audit, larger counties like myself have three of them but every county has at least one statewide general. Last time the three ras three precincts, the races are congressional race, the governors race and the we had 2325 votes cast among the three races in the three precincts. We get the balance out of the vault, we sit down, hand tally them, make sure they match up with what the machine counted been, which they did. It is another level of check in and balance, it is another level of proof to show that our machines are counting the ballots correctly. To not only the voters but the workers who work through as well who are gr office. Thank you very much, thank you, madam chair. Thank you. Secretary bens you mentioned i testimony, michigan implemented in person early voting in last months primary, share more information about how you work with local officials about these and other reforms that expand access to voting . Happy to. I am proud in michigan that in 2018 and in 22, voters amended the state constitution to implement automatic Voter Registration, election day registration, enhanced audit and protection as well as enhanced opportunities for military and overseas citizens to vote and gave every citizen a right to vote from home, a right to have a dropbox, one for every 15,000 voters in our state secured and monitored and checked daily and nine days of early voting in every statewide election. Our president ial primary held just last month was the first statewide elen and we found it to be engaging in how citizens have access to test their ballot not just on election■ day but in person voting, two saturdays, two sundays or a full week before election day can dramatically increase Voter Engagement andt women look at who is not voting. According to various surveys and data, its because of inconvenience. They cant get to the polls in a certain time on a certain day but expanding the number of ecwe have has dramatically given more citizens opportunities to participate and has given more Democracy Partners opportunities to engage citizens in becoming fully educated and informed voters. I mentioned ai, we know that we already have misinformati t can go. Can you speak briefly on how disinformation targets■c to suppress the vote number one and how ai would make it even easier for disinformation to go formation is something thats not new to our election system, black voters in particular have been targeted enjoyed the right to vote with information that would mislead them as to where to cast the ballot, whether they were eligible. There been many barriers based on false information but with ai, we see those efforts multiplied and exacerbated an extremely dangerous ways. For example we look at the Current Practice of do xing. That harkens to when black people would vote in the jim crow era and have their names and information broadcast to the com might suffer a violent repercussions for exercising their right to vote. Similarly today we see do xing, op being spread but now, at warp speed across the country, into the dark web, permeating some of the most dangerous spaces because of technology and we also see images being where you have manipulated images of voters and communities that misrepresent what their choices are so its quite dangerous and hard tok detect and we certainy need legislation for the right to vote to enable voters to cast the ballot the will be counted. Thank you. Along the same lines, mr. Called on the eac to take action following the calls in New Hampshire and voted unanimously to allow state and local officials federal funds to combat ai generated misinformation. Officials to take this on . Cal the first thing is using that example in we were next in line with the republican primaries, the first in the nation in New Hampshire. Mr. Cruz was writing that. At the end of the day, the first thing is Election Officials, plan on making sure local partners, counter threat manager in Charleston County whose monitoring all the threats that are coming and across the nation and using that information to then inform our decisionmaking process and to get everybody on board with this, one of the things about elections, we rely on so my wi municipality ride, statewide, so much overlap that communication is so important so when we have something goin push that information to the national level. When it comes to ai and funding, specifically, counties have to have an ability to participate in application of those funds if they are available and using those fund paps proactive to mitigate any ai threats that we would encounter, go ahead. Just want a quick can you talk get federal funding for elections, helpful frequent and the like. Ways your state has been able to put federal election funds to use . Yes, thank you. We used havemake available to our 67 counties gis software, Mapping Software used in border registrars offices so when they are registered to vote and implementing new county commission lines or district lines are congressional lines the voters make sure they are putting their correct voting precinct in the correct district, weve made that available and its being utilized right now and we are pleased with the implementation. I will save a question for my colleagues on recruiting paul workers and the like. We turn it over to senator britt. This committee has heard testimony about nationwide challenges with recruiting and retaining paul workers. Earlier this year you launch the euros to the polls initiative to help recruit paul workers in our state. Explain what that initiative is, how it has been implemented and how it is going at this point. who better than veterans to protect our elections . They have protected our constitutional, right to vote through service to the military, we wanted to launch this program to help recruit paul workers. I can ll a former probate judge who stayed on the phone a lot recruiting paul workers that that is one thingo thats really important that we make that available to them, we want to give another tool to the probate judges, circuit clerks and sheriffs, when im speaking to groups, one thing i tried to encourage these groups to do, raise your hand if you ever served as a poll worker and sometimes you have some and someti■s lved. With our heroes at the polls program we think thats important and launched the Alabama State bar to give attorneys and recruit attorneys if they sign up, get trainedan. So we want to make that tool 7 these local officials to recruit paul workers. Thank you for your work on that. Federal law bans noncitizens from voting in federal elections. That being the case it is important states be given the tools that they need to ensure noncitizens are not able to register or vote in our elections. Last year i introduced the citizeball proction act in the senate and i appreciate all of my republican colleagues on this committee joining the in that effort. Congressman palmer of alabama f that bill earlier last summer and it was voted out of House Committee on administration in november. I hope to see both chambers pass this and it becomes law. The bill is simple. And amends the national Voter Registration act to allow states to put in place a proof of citizenship requirement for the federal Voter Registration form and any state Registration Form they might be able to develop. Secretary allen coming in that vein, can you explain whatch resources secretaries of state have around the country, at their disposal, to provide their state or local Election Officials the ability to verify citizenship when individuals attempt to register to vote . Thank you for the question. The simple ans w have anything at our disposal to verify citizenship. Really, when a man or woma goes to register to vote and they sign their name they are testing they are telling the truth, just recently in asked the United States citizenship and Immigration Services for a list of noncitizens so we could crossc alabama. We were denied that list from the federal government, they told us to use the say of program, the systematic alien verification Entitlement Program database, but the thing is the save Program Database does not allow states to verify citizenship through the database. That is all we have, we tried, the federal government, federal courts have blocked previous efforts by states to verify citizenship. I think it is important now more than ever especially given what is happening at the southern border. Hinder citizenship verification . Challenges to verifying citizenship. We have tried every telephone mentioned this in your opening testimony, you talked aut if an alabama voter needs identification, that you will go to their home free of charge, can you explain to the committee the efforts to make that available . We require photo will give anyone that needs a photo identification to vote in alabama free of charge, we will go to their home if they call o their house to make sure they have a photo identification. We want everybody, every eligible alabama citizen to be able to vote. Senator merkley. Thank you very much. Madam chairman, secretary benson, you had several examples in your testimony of the intimidation of paul workers and one was election director was threatened to be hanged for treason, and i believe in Rochester Hills of voicemail saying 10 million patriots will surround you when you least expect it. Another in detroit city saying you are going to pay dearly, thisall across the country and this is an example of the threats that were put forward in oregon being written on the election, elections dont work, next time, bullets. I must say i have been hearing from clerks all over my state that they are having difficulty recruiting paul workers due to these threats which have been inspired by trumps argument that the election was stolen. Is this happening all over the country . Yes, and it has since the 2,020 election cycle in terms of the threats and challenges and my colleagues on this panel have talked about some of the solutions, michigan has gone a long way to pass state laws to clearly draw a line in the sand about what is and isnt appropriate in terms of threats to election workers. I would add one thing. Any clarity from the federal government that this is not appropriate and it is a crime to threaten election official in the line of official duties, passing a law to make it a crime, as others have proposed would send a clear message of support and protection to these individuals who have borne the for the last several years. The other thing i will underscore, michigan launched the democracy mvp program in 2022 recruit partners with a va to recruit attorneys. What we have seen as a result is a new generation workers step up to the plate determined to protect our democracy despite the threats. A c answer. Secretary allen mentioned the importance of making sure noncitizens dont vote. This has been a point of some discussion as to whether these strategies are intended to intimidate people and whether this is addressing a real problem. Have you seen a significant number of noncitizens attempting to vote in your state . No. Do i recall michigan audits to examine that and what those audits look like . E take the importance of eligible votes very seriously. We have several layers of protection that implanted Voter Registration in particular through ensuring documentation and make clear to folks that the legal consequences on these forms, at the same time weve done our work and investigations we consistently found our voter rolls are clean and noncitizens are not voting to the extent of that. There are many ways to approach this. Would you affirm the status of the case . Noncitizens attempting to vote in any substantial number. I hate to see people trying to address a nonproblem and disguise it as a big problem when they are trying to intimidate people from voting. Miss nelson, i wanted to turn to your testimony as you mentioned several things that are done to discourage people from voting and these across the country. If you have a section of the state you dont want to vote like a certain city, a certain native indian reservation, changes in polling location, you move it, consolidate it, proceed to open the voting place late you proceed to understaff it so theres a long line, proceed to put the voting place where there is no parking so people get very frustrated, you proceed to run out of ballots, which is when i hadnt heard about before, talking about mississippi, so these strategies, how do we tackle these . 25 paul monitors on the ground in mississippi addressing those very issues you just laid out. I have a realtime email from ing me that is what they are seeing. There is signage issues. There are many ways that are not easily detectable until you are in t m election and voters are being disenfranchised. Theres a clear targeting and clear disregard for certain communities when they are attempting to cast a ballot. What we need is, in addition to Election Protection efforts, we need strong legislation that k will prevent some of these changes from happening without there being some preclearance, some authority that says it is okay for you to do this, it will not disproportionately harm certain voters. I want to emphasize that ma operations, moving a polling location and so forth, they can be used in a prejudicial manner, thank you. Senator haggerty . Thank you. I wont thank all of you for being here today, your work overseeing our elections is extremely important. The founders tasked the states with conducting elections to help ensure the integrity of them and confidence in our election system so i appreciate your svi. Secretary allen, i will direct all my questions to you because i have limited time and i will ask you to keep your answers brief, yes or no answers and lets get started. Are you familiar with president bidens executor order 14019 which directs federal Government Agencies to in Voter Mobilization including helping with completing vote by mail materials and finding thirdparty organizations to help provide Voter Services . Yes, sir. Are you aware of any authority in federal law that permits the executive Branch Agencies to engage in this Voter Mobilization activity . Im not. Nor am i. Seems this activity may well violate the hatch actnd antide prohibits spending funds in a manner thats not authorized by congress. Doesnt seem problematic to you for taxpayerfunded federal agencies to, quote, assist applicants in completing vote by mail ballot forms and bring in outside organizations . The biden executor order says any outside organization brought in to help with Voter Mobilization must be, quote, nonpartisan. Take a look at who is helping the Biden Administration with this order. Last year and agency in the department of health and Human Services acknowledged that it was working with groups like the aclu to implement the voting executive order. The latter which describes its mission as, quote, pioneering. A foia request revealed its working with the department of■ agriculture on this matter. Did the aclu and the most sound like nonpartisan groups . No, sir. Their priorities are openly partisan. If■ biden agencies are using openly leftwing groups to conduct get out the vote activity it sounds like the federal government is being yes, sir. Rm of Republican Administration hiring the Heritage Foundation to engage in, quote, nonpartisan Voter Mobilization activities. A couple weeks ago Vice President harris announced the Biden Administration was paying college udents to reach out to voters and serve as, quote, nonpartisan poll workers, the Vice President provided an example of nonpartisan poll workers she was talking about, the person she gave as an example previously worked for the aclu and the alliance for justice which is a partisan group. Secretary allen, does this inspire confidence the Biden Administrations voter activities nonpartisan . Doesnt sound like it, sir. No it doesnt. One way the Biden Administration could alleviate this concern is by revealing what they are using taxpayer dollars to do. The Biden Administration required each federal agency to come up with a plan for driving Voter Mobilization and submit that plan to the white house yet the Biden Administration refuses to disclose these plans and that despite congressional do so. Ies and coming back to your experience here is it normal for a president or governor to require Government Agencies to engage in Voter Mobilization and develop secret plans for doing that and keep that secret from the public . I dont think thats normal. I dont either and i think it is understandable that Many Americans are concerned about taxpayerfunded Voter Mobilization plans in the Biden Administration needs to release these plans. Thank you. I yield back my time. Senator padilla. 4u thank you. Before i get to my questions, i want to share with my colleagues in the committee and witnesses in front of us one of many examples of the exchange where the witness fails to point to any partisan language in the directives thater referenced. If anything, i call your attention to the National Footage duration register voters to ration act which was passed on a bipartisan basis in 1993 before we get to the substance of the a bipartisan basis, finds when the right of citizens is a fundamental right, number 2, it is the duty of federal, state and local governments to promote the exercise of that right and goes on from there. Looking where in statute we might find the opening for the federal government not on a partisan basis, in nonpartisan basis to encourage, accept a role in responsibility in encouraging citizens of the United States to exercise their fundamental right to vote. Is one example. Moving on. We can o should have longerterm conversations about modernizing elections and what you need to do to protect the integrity of of our democracy and threat to election workers and poll workers has been covered in this hearing, november is on the horizon, lets talk abo t can and should be done, at the county level. And the voting process. To maintain faith and confidence in thero primary, takes a why your because of high levels of participation. Statewide california implemented a balanced tracking system, email messages, the status of their ballot to the voter, when it is countered. Questions for mister cramer, when systems are in place for state and local officials to learn federal resources or University Resources are available to them. To share best practices. Thank you for the question. The honor we have in charlesto we hold a state conference every year. One thing i am proud of is launching the Voter Ambassador Program in Charleston County and we are the trusted election information source and we empower organizations in Charleston County under strict guidelines but it helps give official information so when we do a program like that we have to share that with other counties and states. They have a Clearinghouse Program we are able to tap into andt sharing. How to be effective in Election Administration. And health Election Officials. En specific topic, the department oftion clarifies in the workstudy program. Its legal for students on election offices. I encourage the department to make this clarification last october because somehow, it happened. It is a terrific way to bring dedicated younger americans, to see democracy up close and personal. Imagine being inspired to pursue a career in that area but in the short rm staffing concerns. You had high school and college age poll workers and election workers, correct . They are amazing and bring a fresh breath of air to the po they participated in it. That the remarkable thing about bringing kids into the process and South Carolina you can serve as young as 16, conflict resolution, teambuilding, and the college of charleston, the is that something you can d. Expand on . You know why we are doing this. Truly partnerships make democracy work. In the middle of serving these efforts, havent seen this. Thank you. Senator ossoff and the ever patient senator butler. Thank ypanel. Secretary benson. The former p the georgia secretary of state in the immediate aftermath of the 2,020 elections and set all i want to do is this, i just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Have you ever gotten a call from a president ial ] candidat asking you to find the number of votes they need to win the election . I have never gotten a call from any cj8rom any race asking for such an inappropriate request of an election official. Ever gotten a call from a candidate asking for the number of votes they need to win . Not received a telephon call. Does it strike you as proper . Listen, i can only take■ does it strike you as proper for the president to call estate secretary of state and ask them to find the number of votes they need to win the i dont know what he meant by finding those votes. Proper for the president of the United States to call estate secretary of state and ask them to find precisely the number of votes they need to win . Yes or no . As secretary in alabama i will follow the law the Alabama Legislature has laid out for me to follow in administering the elections. Your refusal to answer the question doesnt inspire confidence. Let me ask about the intimidation of election workers. You noted legislation this week, polling place protection act, it would create criminal penalties for threats of violence to intimidate voters or Election Officials, appreciate you expressing support for legislation. What effects do threats on election workers and efforts to intimidate election have on Election Administration . Not only does it cause us to fear going to work, even though it is important work and do it with pride that somehow there are people who wish to harm us for doing our patriotic duty. Take us away from the actual work every time we need to and having a clear statement in the law that it is a crime to threaten us for doing the job of making elections work for everyone is long overdue. Gislad passing similar legislation goes a long way to send a message of that type of behavior thats not appropriate in our state. Was the impact on Election Administration when there are threats and intimidation of election workers which we saw in 2020, in georgia and the republican Election Officials in georgia were begging in public that the former president ceased spreading baseless conspiracy theories about the theft of the election in georgia because it put lives at risk. What is the impact on the capacity of election workers to do their jobs when they face those threats and when those threats are based on baseless conspiracies about Election Fraud . Its keeping good people still running elections formn this country in South Carolina, we are losing a wealth of knowledge, hardworking professional men and women who serve the country bperforming the wealth of knowledge leaving is a bad thing for the United States. ■u■ these are people who uphold the constitution of the state and the United States so it is a bad thing and it is one thing i ask what keeps me up at night, its the protection of these workers and when they wake up in the morning and get t to th me. It should concern everyone. Miss nelson in georgia, in the aftermath of the0 ection, is a lengthy oped written by ken bloch who was hired by the Trump Campaign to find fraud in georgia, found none. A lengthy editorial about the impact of these conspiracy theories. On the basis of those conspiracy theories the Georgia State Legislature Passed exam available time for runoff elections in half, driving up wait times in runoff elections. What i the impact of that kind of policy on ensuring access to the ballot for eligible voters . George our past armful omnibus Voter Suppression law. What it does is exacerbates that black voters face like ■a long lines, georgia has a very very horrible reputation for disproportionate lines black voters face■s their law attempted to prevent people from providing basic sustenance to ppl like water and snacks. We were fortunate enough to beat that part of the law and other aspects of that law that would have disenfranchised many black voters but good portions of that law still exist and we have to redouble our efforts to llot in the upcoming elections. The research is six times waiter in line for black voters in georgia, thank you for your testimony. Thank you, senator ossoff. The gift of being number 100. It worksall kinds of ways particularly depending on your chair. Definitely appreciate your testimony and being here. Miss nelson, if you wouldnt mind, would love to start with you. You submitted in your written testimony the challenges lgf is facing is working with in hines county, mississippi. There was specific data you testimony. It is approximately 70 b expe ballot shortages during 2,023 mississippi statewide election and this was one of the first times in my recent memory as a mississippi and that there is a competitive governors race opr mississippi to elect the first democratic governor in a long time. Your written testimony noted up to nine polling locations in times county hines county that ran out of ballots multiple times during election day. Lgf was part of investigative work, steps to help find out in hines county, efforts to offer those to others across the country and those doing that work. Share with the committee quickly what you learned from the investigation, what happened in hines county . The elections in mississippi, i did not get an answer before the election, any threat again. We are investigating is that. Thats why we have people on the groundre documenting a new report, democracy defendant, all the different incursions, to support federal legislation we are here to demand congress passed. The suggestion there are no modern condition give rise to federal intervention is patently false. The work we do with civil rights colleagues on establishes the record to support federal legislation like the freedom to vote act and the john lewis Voting Rights act. Mr. Allen, i was there a week ago. Being on theampus of Alabama State university as a member of this body conducting field hearing talking to alabama voters about that point of modern discrimination that alabamians are experiencing, that we are seeing across e country. I would like to, actually, instead of landing there, you said something in your testimony a few minutes ago in response to an earlier question. I would like to press on a little bit to understand more. You made mention of funds that your office uses to get Mapping Software for counties and municipalities. Am i capturing that accurately . The county boards of registrars. That is really helpful. I noted earlier this month, 6000 voters in alabama, the second Congressional District ect voter information. I appreciate your office wasnt involved in sending out those postcards. Did you talk about the intersection between the challenges of alabama voters not getting the correct information, the tools your office helps to provide and facilitate for county election had nothing to do with voters in alabama getting the Incorrect Information for the polling stations. It is the board of registrars in every county to make sure they are in the current district. It is not th office role to conduct any of the voter assignments. ■n i left up to the county. All of the Southern Poverty Law Center had to do is place a phone call to us and we could make sure we got on the telephone but the county in question to make sure we got it right. Instead, what they chose to do was send out a press release before the primary which calls caused to introduce introduce and chaos before it wasnt appreciated by my office. Op communication would have been best for the day to do that but it was on Montgomery County and the board of registrars to make sure they had those voters in the correct di■bstrict and make sure everye was in the correct precinct. Everyone who voted on election day got the correct ballot. I want everyone to understand they got the correct ballot■e vote in Congressional District 2. Thank you, secretary allen. Folks who find it interesting the response goes to what andvocacy group was doing or not doing in alabama, the same advacy groups are prohibited from helping people get the information they need. I find that interesting contradiction. I yield my time. Thank you, madam chair. Thank you for holding this hearing and thank you for your willingness to be here to testify. I had a couple questions for you if that is okay. We heard yesterday on the intelligence committee, leaders of the Intelligence Community,q not very surprising news about continuing threat social media platforms pose to our democracy. Of these platformsen used to spread disinformation not just here but all around the world, sometimes to violent and deadly effect. In the lead up to the 2022 election, online mentions of voter fraud skyrocketed. In 2,020 the capital, which is well known, to save an election that had not been stolen. Their rage amplified by relentless algorithms that were engineered for profit to sell advertising, not for the sake of our democracy certainly. In 2016 it is wellestablished, this is not a political view, Vladimir Putin interfered with our election as he has repeatedly with elections and other countries baround the world here, playing both sides of every issue with 10 million tweets. Thats not an exaggeration. Thats the reality of what was happening. Theres a lot going on as the chair knows today, on ticktock, i dont want to get distracted except to say probably good things going to happen if one of the sources of major information in terms of the electoral process is coming from a platform controlled by the Chinese Communist party. I can imagine that will end in states. I think it would be selfdefeating of us to assume that what happened in 2,022 and 2,020 and 2016 isnt going to happen again this year. You stated misinformation is the top concern in 2024 even more than in 2020. Talk about what National Standards we should put in place to helpaf online campaigns . Weve been working in michigan to emphasize that. Michigan to emphasize that there is a greater incentive for them to interfere in our elections and the mechanisms through which they will interfere■ into our borders and particularly with this being the first election where Artificial Intelligence saw the rise, we we believe that will be one ofe utilize through social media its i think first and foremost for the senate to pass the bill against deceptive practices with a i will be key to helping every state be prepared. With state legislation, one of sick states that aly i would ars opeds a democracy is a team sport, and these statements so what is okay and what is not what is illegal and what is that with regard to deception and elections is one piece but not the whole piece of theuz put tr, community leaders, labor leaders and many others which were doing interstate and we need to do nationwide and i think every senator to bei a a convener s trustedca voices to equip them with truthful information about our elections, help us get out ahead of the misinformation hitting our states and helpless to ensure voters dont get fooled because they been educated at a time about the ged information if they need more. Ive got one minute left, could i ask one more question, is that a right . Thank you. Next week as you know, the Supreme Court is going to the case of murphyth against missout Court Decision preventing the federal government from communicating with social Media Companies about the content on their site. This decision the lower Court Decision has had a disastrous effect on our ability to combat foreign influence elections are, in fact, the governments ability to coordinate with the platforms on Public Health information and xzn■threatens to undermine the efforts undertaken across multiple president ial administrations to hold the platforms accountable. You know, to have their own sets of policies. The Washington Post reported the federal government has basilly stopped warning some platforms about foreign disinformation campaigns altogether as result of that. Legal experts have called the injunction strikingly broad. They have pointed flaws in its logic, its confused legal argument and alarming conclusions that drawssi about e federal Government Role to play. I wonder how you are navigating these challenges and this changing Legal Environment when it comes to communicating with platforms and the clear and present danger to michigans elecons. Its difficult, it makes a lot more challenging to collaborate with social Media Companies that have an Important Role to play in protecting their users from deceptive tactics and misinformation so we will be awaiting the outcome of that case but in the interim working become a critical consumers of information they receive helping them understand the way in which the misinformation causes chaos and confusion and destruction to our elections has been a focus of weekend and power the citizens in our state to spot the deepfakes, spot people try to fool them, stop Bad Information and not only not scented or forwarded but instead respond with truthful information to help us counter that inat every way in our stat. Thank you. Thank you, madam chair and thank you again to everybody on the fence. Thank you very much. Thank you, all are witnesses, for a very good hearing. Im grateful to the Election Officials here today, and for your work to ensure elections are administered securely and safely. I also want to thank ms. Nelson for her continued work to ensuri look forward to continuing our work on thisfficials and protect our freedom for elections. The hearing record will remain open for one week. With that, w. Thank you. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations]y [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] today on cspan the house meet at nine p. M. Eastern to consider legislation that would require the fiduciary at tiktok to do this from its china owned Parent Company within 180 days or face the u. S. Ban. The bill prohibits Technology Platforms in the was from carrying any applications that are controlled by foreign adversaries of the u. S. At 90 amonth cspan2 a House Financial Services subcommitteee Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to regulate Digital Consumer payment application. On cspan and three at 9 a. M. A house Armed Services subcommittee hears testimony from outside expert on the Important Role of software in Defense Department systems and how to acquire and deployed for rapid innovation. You can watch our live coverage on the free cspan now video out apital reported posting on effort staed by democts to cite the discharge petition house vote on the Senate Passed a bill for ukraine, israel and taiwan. This produral step would require the sna lawmakers to bypass hse speaker Mike Johnsons refusal to bring a legon up for a vote. Nbc news contest when regul Hakeem Jeffries who is urging democrats to sign the petition as a statement of psptive that the only way forward is bipartisanpr security built thas sent over from theate saying it deserves an up or down vote. At the same time cspans pnts out Bri Fitzpatrick of pennsylvania has also filed a discharge petition on similar legislation that includes Border Security provisions. The Senate Passed its 95 billion aid package last month by a vote of 7029 with 2229 with 22epublicans voting in favor. A healthy democracy doesnt just look like this. It looks like this, where americans can see democracy at work, where citizens are truly informed, a republic fries. Get informed straight from the