Reps. Ratcliffe, Himes Introduce Bill to Punish Election Interference

(WASHINGTON – June 12, 2019) Reps. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) and Jim Himes (D-Conn.) introduced a bipartisan bill today to establish election interference as a federal crime. The Defending the Integrity of Voting Systems Act would make it a federal crime to hack any voting systems used in a federal election. According to the Justice Department, current federal law doesn’t directly apply punishments for hacking voting machines that aren’t connected to the internet.

“It’s not enough to speak out against hacking our voting systems, but then do nothing to actively deter it. We must ensure that those who attempt to interfere in our elections will face strict punishment for their actions. This isn’t a partisan issue. It’s about protecting each American’s right to vote and have their vote count,” said Ratcliffe. “I’m grateful to be working across the aisle with Representative Himes on legislation that will help us protect our country from the threat of future attacks on our electorate.”

“Every day, our geopolitical rivals are working to infiltrate and interfere with our electoral process,” said Himes. “If we’re not thinking of ways to protect our systems and deter attacks five, ten, fifteen years in the future, we risk falling behind and losing our substantial technological advantage. This bill will expand the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, a move the Department of Justice Cyber Task Force has identified as a priority, to prohibit hacking of voting machines. I hope that Representative Ratcliffe and I can help set an example with this bill to show the rest of our colleagues that there is an uncontroversial, bipartisan path forward to better protect our nation.”

Reps. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Greg Steube (R-Fla.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Ben Cline (R-Va.) and Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) are original cosponsors.

Submitted press release.

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