Democrats and Republicans remain at odds over federal election security legislation following a briefing from administration officials on the matter.
“Interference in our elections is a very, very serious problem and it is obvious we have to do a lot more in both the public sectors and private sectors to combat it,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said after a classified briefing by Trump administration officials about securing the upcoming election. “I am very worried about what the Russians and others might do in 2020,” added the New York Democrat.
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Democrats want Congress to pass an election security bill that would provide more funding to states and require uniform changes to voting equipment, among other provisions.
Democrats also want steps taken to prevent Russians and other foreign actors from influencing voters via social media and other messaging.
“To simply rely on good intentions, without providing some rules of the road, both for social media and our election system, would be a mistake,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said after the briefing.
Most Republicans and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., don’t support the legislation. They say it isn’t necessary.
“I was very impressed,” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said.
Graham said he believed the federal government was prepared to ensure the upcoming election is secure and would “build on the success” of 2018 without the need for new legislation.
Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said the election system has been strengthened with the recent help of the federal government but would not benefit from Democratic legislation that would centralize a diverse system.
“New federal election laws would not be the right thing to do,” Blunt said.
Instead, all states should move toward having a paper ballot back up, he said.
The House passed a measure last month that would add federal election standards and bolster funding, but the GOP-led Senate has no intention of taking up the bill.
McConnell said Wednesday that Congress would continue to closely monitor election security to determine if new laws are needed but suggested the Democrat-authored bills are partisan.
“As with any time when Washington politicians are clamoring to grab greater control over something this important, we need to make sure this conversation is clear-eyed, and sober, and serious,” McConnell said.
The Senate passed a measure last month that would block visas to any foreigner accused of interference in a U.S. election.
Democrats have been asking for an election security briefing for several weeks.
The Mueller report into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election determined the Russians worked to influence the presidential election in favor of Trump
No significant interference occurred in the 2018 midterm election, according to election officials.
Democrats believe more action on the federal level is needed ahead of 2020 and believe Trump is undermining the effort to pass election security legislation by pressuring the GOP to block an election security measure.
They believe he is also denying money to states that need additional funding to secure elections.
“We have a president who is actively undermining election security efforts and a lot of people working at the top of these agencies trying to do the right thing,” Rep. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said after the briefing. “The president posts fake videos online and jokes about election interference with [Russian President Vladimir Putin]. He’s doing a great disservice to voters in this country. But I take everybody in that briefing at their word, that they are working very hard to try to make our elections more secure.”
