We are thrilled to share that on August 10, 2018, Secretary of State Kim Wyman immediately eliminated the option for email return of ballots for non-overseas and non-military voters in Washington. The reason: this voting method is highly vulnerable to hacking.
This decision is a huge step forward in improving election security in our state. LWVWA has sounded the alarm about the insecurity of this practice and advocated for this change prior to the midterm election. We're proud of our role in bringing this risk to Wyman's attention and demonstrating how easily emailed ballots can be compromised.
LWVWA Election Security Issue Chair Kirstin Mueller has been front and center on this critical issue. In an early August appearance on
KIRO TV, she encouraged Secretary Wyman to eliminate the option for domestic, non-service voters to use email ballot return.
Mueller's impact has reverberated in the national media, as well.
In an interview from Las Vegas last week, where he was attending the annual hacking conference DefCon, Washington Deputy Secretary of State Mark Neary cited an email hacking demonstration conducted by Mueller back in March, as well the concern for malware transmission by email ballot files as being an impetus for the August rule change in Washington.
