Rep. Anthony Brindisi
Rep. Anthony Brindisi

Congressman seeks to hold Russia accountable, secure elections, and deter future foreign interference

Congressman Anthony Brindisi (NY-22) released a proposal presenting a bipartisan path forward to securing the United States election infrastructure. Brindisi, joined by the Blue Dog Coalition, presented a proposal in response to the Mueller report and the detailing of Russia’s attack on America’s elections.

“Securing our elections is something Democrats and Republicans agree on,” Brindisi said. “It is commonsense: Russia, or any other foreign country, should not be influencing our elections. With only 227 days until the next election, Congress needs to act now on these solutions that both parties support.”

The proposal includes a series of election security measures including requiring all states to use paper ballots or that produce a voter-verifiable paper audit trail, which has earned public support from President Trump and Election Systems & Software, a major voting machine vendor.

In addition to election security, the proposal urges Congress to pass the strongest sanctions possible against Russia in retaliation to its attempt to meddle in the 2016 and 2018 elections and pursue aggressive policies to deter future interference attempts by Russia and other adversaries, including China, Iran and North Korea.

The proposal is based primarily on a set of 11 bills that have earned bipartisan support in the House and the Senate.

The Blue Dog Coalition’s proposal recommends the following bipartisan response to the Mueller report:

1. Equip and inform states and localities.

2. Increase transparency on political ads sold online and reform the Federal Election Commission.

3. Regularly assess the threat, enhance coordination, and alert federal, state, and local officials.

4. Prohibit foreign entities from participating in the U.S. electoral process and update federal criminal and immigration laws regarding election interference.

5. Hold Russia accountable now and deter Russia and other adversaries from future election interference.

The proposal can be viewed in its entirety HERE.

By martha

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