U.S. Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) on Nov. 25 unveiled a bipartisan bill to require that America’s voting systems undergo simulated cyberattacks as part of their standard certification process.
“Ensuring trust in our nation’s elections is vital, and in order for people to have confidence in our democratic process, we need to be doing everything we can to secure any vulnerabilities,” Rep. Valadao said.
The congressman sponsored the Strengthening Election Cybersecurity to Uphold Respect for Elections through Independent Testing (SECURE IT) Act, H.R. 6315, alongside bill cosponsor U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA) to help bolster the security of the nation’s election systems from foreign and domestic bad actors.
“The SECURE IT Act would proactively help discover potential flaws in our electoral system by outlining robust system security check requirements,” said Rep. Valadao, “and I’m proud to help lead this bipartisan effort to strengthen our election infrastructure.”
While federal law requires the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to test and certify voting system hardware and software, current regulations under the Help America Vote Act of 2002 do not explicitly mandate penetration testing — a key cybersecurity practice that helps identify system vulnerabilities.
If enacted, H.R. 6315 would direct the EAC to incorporate penetration testing into its certification process and establish a voluntary coordinated vulnerability disclosure program, enabling independent researchers to examine election systems for potential cybersecurity risks, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Valadao’s staff.
“We’ve got to do everything we can to shore up America’s cybersecurity and voting systems and help make sure they remain strong and secure,” said Rep. Deluzio. “We must make sure America’s democratic infrastructure can weather any and all attacks from our adversaries.”