UNN can reveal that concerns around American voting systems used in the 2020 presidential election go back at least 12 months prior to the vote. Back in In 2015, the mid-Atlantic state of Maryland’s main election system vendor was bought by a parent company with ties to Russia. These ties were not known to the state’s election officials until July 2018, when the FBI notified them of the potential conflict.

Examples of these unknown deals have led many to argue that democracy in the United States is secretive and a privately-run affair conducted out of the public eye with little oversight. Many are now calling for the corporations that run every aspect of American elections, from voter registration to casting and counting votes by machine to be subjected to far more state and federal regulation.

Companies involved are often privately-owned which makes information about ownership difficult to obtain. The market for voter counter systems is extremely small, with the US being by far the biggest customer base. 

Even back in 2019, campaigners that are wary of foreign ownership of election vendors argued that this is a potential security problem. They argued that voting machines are more vulnerable to insider malfeasance than any other sector of the election industry. One example that is used is 2003 when voting machines were rapidly spreading across the country with the help of federal funds. The CEO of one of the largest companies involved and a top fundraiser for the then president George W Bush said he was “committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president”.

Given that the incoming Biden-Harris administration has spoken to highly of mail-in voting which uses considerable voter counting machines it is difficult to see serious reform coming soon. 

The Guardian previously wrote a two part expose of concerns around voting machines highlighting Russian interference as an issue. To state such comments on social media now in relation to Joe Biden’s victory would likely see you banned: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/apr/22/us-voting-machine-private-companies-voter-registration

Current Affairs Correspondent | My name is Oliver Down I am 22, and a staunch brexiteer. I am a Bristolian lad who studied politics in Leicester. I believe in free speech and accurate journalism and I won’t be afraid to give you “the other side” of the story!

This content was sourced from Unity News Network.