State election officials do not expect the federal government to reliably share election threat information during the midterm elections, according to internal National Association of Secretaries of State documents obtained exclusively by USA TODAY.
A March 27 memo from the bipartisan association says "federal agencies are not seen by states as reliable or sufficient options for being the national hub for election threat information sharing." It adds "states do not expect these entities to reliably share the information they receive."
The concern reflects election officials' broader loss of confidence following staffing cuts, funding reductions and organizational changes at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Since 2018, that agency has been a primary conduit for election security briefings and cyber assistance.
For months, election officials have worked across party and state lines with nonprofits and technology companies to build alternative channels for sharing intelligence and cybersecurity support. Several officials said that effort is unlikely to match the federal system it is replacing.
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