Axios: 14 Vulnerable States Cannot Guarantee Election Results

With reports foreign entities are plotting potential attacks on U.S. elections in 2018, there are 14 states vulnerable to a cyber hack because they "lack 100 percent verification capabilities" and cannot "guarantee the accuracy of election outcomes," according to an Axios report.

The issues lie in the reliance on "direct recording electronic machines (DREs)" that may not provide paper copies of ballots " in the event of a suspected breach," according to the report.

There are five states — Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina, New Jersey, and Delaware — with no paper trail, and nine others with a limited one or require some reform, Axios reported.

The nine potentially vulnerable states include: Pennsylvania, Texas, Kansas, Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, and Mississippi. All of those states are working toward finding a resolution.

Some of the issues involve funding issues or the ability to pass resolutions to require paper ballots for verification purposes, which might not be achievable before November 2018.

Arkansas is one state that has passed legislative approval to upgrade election systems, but the money had yet to be allocated, according to Arkansas' Secretary of State's office.

"We're still working on that," secretary spokesman Chris Powell told Axios. "We expect approval this week to spend additional money."

Kentucky is another state to have passed a resolution but has yet to fund it, according to the report.

"There's just not the funding available for that right now," a state official told Axios.

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