A senior official for the federal cybersecurity agency of the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday that there have been no "specific or credible" threats to the midterm elections.
Politico cybersecurity reporter Eric Geller posted comments from a "senior official" of the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency on Twitter on Tuesday, saying that the agency has not detected any disruptive threats.
"We continue to see no specific or credible threat to disrupt election infrastructure today," the official told the reporter in one of three scheduled "background" briefings Tuesday. "We continue to remain in high confidence in the security and resilience of the elections, because of the extensive preparation that goes into every election and the numerous safeguards in place across every step of the process."
The official said that the cybersecurity climate has been "quieter" this election cycle than past elections, but not "nonexistent."
"To date, cyberactivity has been quieter, although not nonexistent, but influence activity has been a point where we continue to see normative behavior across multiple nation states," Geller reported the official saying.
The official said that the agency is aware of "potential issues" in localized Virginia voting machines, but "nothing widespread."
Although interference from foreign actors may not be as active as in recent election cycles from adversaries like Russia in 2016 and Iran in 2020, the official said China is trying to be active in this year's election.
The senior official said more countries have begun interfering since 2016 (Iran 2020, China this year).
"The playbook from 2016 is out there," the official said. "And now we have observed participants who did not really engage in 2020 willing to engage in election influence in 2022."
CISA Director Jen Easterly said in a video to voters Tuesday that she wanted to thank the more than 10,000 election officials, and more than 250,000 poll workers who ensure free and fair elections in the country, making sure each ballot is legally cast and counted.
"The people running our elections are our friends, they're our neighbors, they're our relatives," she said. "We see them at the supermarket, the PTA, and all-around town. They deserve, not just our support, but our admiration and respect."
In a press release Friday, the agency reminded the public that results from election day itself are not yet "official," and may take days after to confirm and verify.
"It is also important that we remember that election results reported on Tuesday night are not official. Even as news outlets call particular races, they too know that it takes days and weeks to have official results. In many jurisdictions, military ballots, absentee ballots, and other mail-in ballots will not yet be counted, and those ballots cast in-person on Election Day may still need verification," the agency said in the release.
"When the polls close, election officials remain in action — counting, processing, and conducting audits to be sure that the final, official results are accurate.
"Changes in the vote totals will occur as valid ballots are counted before the final, official results are announced. This process is normal and happens every year. It is precisely because of this rigorous counting and verification that voters can and should have confidence that their vote will be counted."
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