The private companies that make voting
equipment and build and maintain voter
registration databases lack any meaningful
federal oversight despite the crucial role they
play in U.S. elections, leaving the nation’s
electoral process vulnerable to attack, according
to a new report.
The Brennan Center for Justice this week
issued the report, which calls on Congress to
establish a framework for federal certification
of election vendors. The authors say this could
be established as a voluntary program similar
to how voting machines are certified, with
incentives for state and local election officials to
use vendors that have completed the process.
It would include the establishment of federal
standards and the ability for federal officials to
monitor compliance and address any violations.