In a deeply polarized nation, sizable majorities of Americans worry about foreign interference in the US electoral process. Almost any illicit advantage could tip the scales, which makes this year’s presidential race a top target for spies and other nefarious actors. In this episode of our leadership series at Mount Vernon, New York Times correspondent David Sanger and historian Tyson Reed discuss the nature of the threat and ways to combat it.
The US government must do more to increase transparency, raise awareness of techniques used by interferers, and build resilience in the information space. For example, intelligence officials should be prepared to brief journalists and Congress on the results of their vetting process prior to election day. But revealing the details of such efforts could risk political repercussions, since the public would likely interpret them as favoring one candidate or another. This is why Obama decided not to inform the public about the extent of the Kremlin’s 2016 meddling in the hopes that it wouldn’t taint the election.
Similarly, it’s crucial that law enforcement and state and local officials are prepared to handle allegations of vote tampering or other forms of electoral subversion. Afraid of criminal charges, an election official might succumb to pressure to aggressively purge voter rolls or to throw out valid votes in the name of a “clean” outcome.
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