Ethical Hacking News
Election security has been a growing concern in recent years, with many election officials facing harassment, intimidation, and cyber threats. As the 2026 elections approach, experts warn of a potential decline in federal resources provided by CISA, leaving local officials vulnerable to threats.
Bill Gates faced harassment and intimidation after the 2020 presidential election, including death threats and online abuse. Gates and other local election officials fear a decline in federal resources for election security under the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). A recent survey found that 61% of local election officials are concerned about cuts to CISA, while 80% need more support. Experts warn that the threat landscape is evolving, with false information circulating online being a major concern. Local election officials must prepare for the worst-case scenario and assume they won't have federal resources to combat cyber security threats.
The 2020 presidential election marked a turning point for Bill Gates, a life-long Republican and former Maricopa County supervisor. It was shortly after this event that he and other supervisors began to face harassment and intimidation, both online and in real-life. The threats were relentless, with some even going as far as to send death threats. For Gates, the experience was nothing short of terrifying.
"What's that when we became pariahs within the Republican Party because we were not willing to sign on to this whole election-being-stolen narrative," Gates recalled. "That's when we became targets for these online and real-life harassment and violence." The threats continued well into 2022, with law enforcement even instructing Gates to spend two nights in hiding after he received a threatening email.
One specific incident stands out - an email that Gates received on election night, which stated that the sender had access to people who prepared his food and intended to poison him. Fortunately, the individual responsible for sending this email was sentenced to three years' probation.
Despite the decline of threats in recent times, Gates remains deeply concerned about the future of election security. He fears that local election officials may lose the federal resources provided by the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to combat threats to both physical and digital security. With CISA's rapidly shrinking headcount and budget under the second Trump administration, Gates worries that this support will be significantly reduced.
"I'm no longer in office, but I'm still in this world and I see election officials all the time," Gates said. "Certainly the level of threats and intimidation has gone down. The question is whether we've now left that in our rear view mirror - or will it just come back with the 2026 election?" He emphasizes the importance of having federal resources to combat cyber security threats, which he believes will be critical for local election officials.
Gates' concerns are echoed by Natalie Adona, registrar of voters in California's Marin County. She recently participated in a survey conducted by the Brennan Center, which found that 61 percent of local election officials are concerned about cuts to CISA and their impact on election security. Moreover, 80 percent of respondents stated that they need more support from CISA, while 76 percent believed that their budgets needed to grow to keep up with administration and security costs.
"The individual who threatened me got out of prison in June," said Tina Barton, a senior election expert with The Elections Group. "Clerks have historically had a wonderful working relationship with their constituents." However, the 2020 election cycle marked a shift in this dynamic, with many clerks facing harassment and intimidation. Despite this, there were no major issues in 2024, thanks to strong partnerships between CISA, law enforcement, and local elections offices.
The decline of threats has been attributed to collaborative planning efforts between these organizations. However, the Brennan Center's survey found that 38 percent of respondents had been harassed, abused, or threatened for doing their jobs. Furthermore, 81 percent believed that false information circulating online was a serious concern, particularly with the aid of artificial intelligence.
"The community of 10,000 in Michigan can't fight a Russia or an Iran on a cyber attack," Barton said. "We need to recognize this and take steps to prepare for such threats."
Gates concludes by advising local election officials to assume that they won't have federal resources to combat cyber security threats and act accordingly. He urges them to be prepared for the worst-case scenario.
"Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst," Gates said. "It is incumbent upon local election officials to assume we don't have that partnership and act accordingly."
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/Election-Security-The-Unseen-Threats-Lurking-in-the-Shadows-of-2026-ehn.shtml
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2025/08/16/election_workers_fears_after_cisa_cuts/
Published: Sat Aug 16 11:52:00 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
