House advances Sherrill election security bill

The House advanced an election security bill sponsored by Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) Wednesday.

The bill allows the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and National Science Foundation (NSF) to begin researching how to modernize and harden the country’s voting infrastructure.

“The security and sanctity of our elections is at the very core of our democracy,” Sherrill said. “This bill, which was developed and written with strong input from experts and members on both sides of the aisle, will allow NIST and the NSF to conduct key research into the threats our election technologies face, and how best to modernize them. I’m proud to see the House of Representatives come together to support this core American value.”

The measure, which is cosponsored Reps. Gonzalez (R-Ohio), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas), and Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), will formally define electronic poll books and voter registration systems as “voting systems” and will require the Government Accountability Office to issue reports measuring the impact of NIST’s research.

“I would especially like to thank Representative Gonzalez, Chairwoman Johnson, and Ranking Member Lucas for their leadership on this legislation,” Sherrill says. “They were invaluable partners, and I look forward to continuing to work with them to ensure the sanctity of our elections.”