Ashcroft Comments on Dominion Voting Machine Vulnerabilities

- Missouri Election Integrity Paramount -

Jefferson City, Mo. — Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft today acknowledged the recent release of a disclosed document issued by CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) referencing Dominion voting equipment manufactured by Dominion Voting Systems.

CISA, a division within the Department of Homeland Security, has notified election officials in several states, including Secretary Ashcroft, of vulnerability issues in Dominion voting equipment.

“As Dominion machines are used in certain counties in Missouri, my office has notified local election authorities regarding these concerns,” Ashcroft said. “We will continue to make sure elections in Missouri are safe and secure.

CISA and Dominion both attest that the flaws in the voting equipment are isolated to lab testing and no changes to election results have occurred. The documents released from CISA contain mitigation measures to aid in the detection and prevention of an attempt to exploit voting machine vulnerabilities.

According to CISA, the potential vulnerabilities would only be possible if an unauthorized person could have unsecured physical access to the equipment. Missouri statute has provisions that specifically prohibit this type of system interaction. As well, the secretary of state’s office has been very proactive in working with local election authorities, providing them with “best practices” information to assist in ensuring election integrity and accountability.

“We remain confident in the outcomes of Missouri elections,” Ashcroft said. “But it seems Dominion could have revealed this information regarding their equipment in a timelier manner. This type of situation, so close to an election, is the very reason my office has been aggressive in prioritizing election integrity legislation.”

HB1878 - recently passed by the Missouri legislature allows for a number of security enhancements: the use of hand-marked paper ballots, requiring equipment to be air-gapped, the ability to disassemble and review equipment by the secretary of state’s office to ensure accurate performance, and the prohibition of “drop boxes.” Also, DRE (Direct-Recording Electronic) equipment will not be used beyond January 2024.

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Visit www.sos.mo.gov to learn more about the Office of the Missouri Secretary of State.