{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr6449-115/featured_protect-election-systems-from-foreign-control-act-1540311708.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr6449-115/featured_large_protect-election-systems-from-foreign-control-act-1540311708.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr6449-115.png"},"introduced_on":"2018-07-19","title_override":"Should States Have to Ensure Their Election System Vendors Are Domestic Companies?","summary_override":"

This bill — the Protect Election Systems From Foreign Control Act — would require states to take steps to ensure that there’s no foreign ownership or influence on the voting systems used in elections. Elections systems that aren’t owned and controlled by domestic companies would be ineligible for use in federal elections.

This bill would require state and local governments to ensure that each vendor that provides, supports, or maintains any component of a voting system used in the administration of the election is a qualified voting systems vendor. Each year, state and local governments would be required to evaluate all vendors that provide, support, or maintain any components of a voting system to ensure that they’re qualified voting system vendors.

The Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) would establish and publish cybersecurity best practices for vendors that provide, support, or maintain voting systems. They’d also establish and publish updates to these practices as appropriate.

DHS and EAC would be required to provide guidance and technical assistance to state and local election agencies. They’d also establish a database for agencies to verify that an election vendor isn’t foreign-controlled, and create an annual review process to examine changes in vendor ownership or control.

","official_title":"To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require States to take steps to ensure that there is no foreign ownership or influence on the voting systems used in elections, and for other purposes.","short_title":"Protect Election Systems from Foreign Control Act","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"Protect Election Systems from Foreign Control Act\n\nThis bill amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require state and local governments to ensure that vendors who provide, support, or maintain any component of a voting system used in a federal election are solely owned and controlled by citizens, unless the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grants the vendor a waiver. Vendors must disclose any sourcing of parts from outside the United States or material changes in ownership or control.\n\nThe Federal Election Commission and DHS shall publish cybersecurity best practices for vendors. Voting systems and vendor information technology infrastructure must be developed and maintained in a manner consistent with the best practices. Vendors must report suspected security incidents.","summarized":true,"cost":null,"cost_commentary":"A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.","impact":"Elections; state and local election officials; voting system vendors; Department of Homeland Security; U.S. Election Assistance Commission.","argument_for":"The security of elections is essential to democracy. Requiring that vendors supplying technology and services for elections be domestically owned is one way to help reduce the risk of foreign interference and hacking.","argument_against":"DHS already has the authority to address all election security issue, and there’s $380 million allocated to election security this year. 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Should States Have to Ensure Their Election System Vendors Are Domestic Companies?