Liberty Vote Owner Cites Lacking Federal Support as Midterm Threats Mount

Scott Leiendecker bought Dominion Voting Systems last year and rebranded the company as Liberty Vote. The firm supplies election equipment to 26 states. Leiendecker told CNN that cybersecurity support from the Trump administration has been disappointing. He said the interactions with federal authorities have not matched the level seen in previous years. He hopes dialogue will improve in the future.

Election officials say the channels for federal officials to communicate foreign threats are at their weakest since the 2016 vote. This comes with the midterm election just days away. US intelligence officials are tracking efforts by Russia, China, and Iran to influence American voters. Cuts to federal programs have hobbled the ability of federal staff to relay that information to local election officials.

The Department of Homeland Security attempted to create an online platform to share threat intelligence in the final weeks before the vote. People familiar with the matter said the platform lacks the credibility it had in past cycles. In mid-October, a classified briefing for election officials was marred by technical difficulties. Federal officials could not get the video call to work. The briefing was rescheduled and occurred without those difficulties.

CISA took on a major role in defending elections during President Donald Trump's first term. It warned election officials about foreign influence operations during the 2020 vote. The agency was gutted during Trump's second term. The administration has tried to rebuild its election-security work in recent months. Sources told CNN the effort has had little effect.

Ryan Macias is a former CISA consultant and a longtime election security expert. He said the relationship between election officials and the federal government has broken down. He noted that in many cases, election officials do not know who to contact when a cyber or physical incident occurs. David Becker, a former Justice Department attorney and co-founder of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, said information-sharing has dried up. He said he does not know a single election official actively sharing cybersecurity information with the feds this time around.

A CISA spokesperson said the agency launched an information-sharing tool. Authorized federal, state, and local government partners are granted access daily upon request. CISA did not reply to questions about how many election officials have accessed the platform. The spokesperson said CISA remains fully equipped to address national security cyber threats. The agency provides voluntary, no-cost services including technical expertise and vulnerability scanning to state and local officials who request them.

Foreign adversaries remain active in the final stretch of the campaign. Russia is using disinformation to denigrate Democratic candidates. China is focused on down-ballot candidates seen as anti-China. Suspected Russian operatives have posted AI-altered videos on X attacking Democratic candidates in the final weeks. One video includes a fabricated claim of sexual assault against James Talarico, the Democratic Senate nominee in Texas.

Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters last month that Russians are throwing everything out there to generate chaos. He said the Chinese have always been extremely targeted in their influence efforts. US officials are also wary of Iranian hackers and trolls. This is the first major US election since the US-Iran war began in February. Himes said Iran understands it has a massive lever to influence the election through the price of oil. Crude oil remained over $100 a barrel on Friday.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told CISA employees on Tuesday that the midterms will be secure. He made vague claims about vulnerabilities in election systems. He said the federal job is to ensure legal ballots are counted and that bad actors cannot change the vote. Election officials at the local level, not federal officials, count votes. Mullin alleged there had been a tremendous amount of harm done by unnamed vulnerabilities in past elections. He did not provide evidence.

Jennifer Morrell, co-founder of the nonpartisan Elections Group, said election officials are diverting time from preparing for foreign threats to account for potential federal interference. She said this added pressure wears down the people who are the first line of defense. She noted that tired staff are more vulnerable to mistakes and phishing attempts. Lindsey Bachman, a spokesperson for the New Mexico secretary of state's office, said her office has not shifted its focus or approach to preventing foreign interference.