Free Speech For People recently played a leading role in drafting and organizing a letter to members of the Senate Armed Services Committee to urge the Committee to reject provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act that would fund online voting. The letter was signed by Protect Democracy, U.S. Vote Foundation, Verified Voting, Common Cause and over two dozen leading computer security experts. Senior Advisor on Election Security Susan Greenhalgh was recently interviewed by The Fulcrum to discuss the dangers of online voting and the implications of the proposed funding provisions.

The following are a few excerpts from the new piece:

The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2022 , which approves DOD policies and funding, includes two provisions that would fund the electronic transmission of absentee ballots for overseas military and civilian voters. The legislation was passed by the House last month and is now being considered in the Senate.

While Tusk Philanthropies said the legislation is a “much-needed step forward to help ensure our military has full access to voting,” election security specialists strongly disagree. In their letter to Congress, the 31 experts argued against funding for internet voting because it is “not safe or secure, and will undermine confidence and trust in elections.”

One of the basic problems with mobile voting is that it relies on the internet, which is fundamentally insecure, said Susan Greenhalgh, senior advisor on election security at Free Speech for People, one of the groups that signed the letter.

Read the full piece in The Fulcrum here.