When: Friday, July 17, 2020, 2:00 – 4:15 p.m. EDT
Online only: https://www.brookings.edu/events/election-integrity-and-security-in-the-era-of-covid-19
What: The threats that disinformation and foreign interference in U.S. elections pose are not new phenomena. In 2016, Russian interference exposed critical vulnerabilities in the United States’ digital election infrastructure, and its information operations sowed political divisions across America. Now, modifications to democratic processes due to the coronavirus pandemic make the task of safeguarding the integrity and security of the 2020 presidential election even more crucial.
How will inevitable adjustments to voting practices, due to COVID-19, affect the security of U.S. elections? What measures should we pursue to dissuade our adversaries from attempting to interfere? Are we adequately prepared to counter new tactics, techniques, and procedures they might employ? And what can the federal government do to ensure that every state and county has the means to conduct a fair and secure election?
On July 17, the Foreign Policy program at Brookings will host a webinar to examine aspects of election security and integrity in the era of COVID-19. Following welcome remarks from Brookings President John R. Allen and keynote remarks from Christopher Krebs, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Brookings Senior Fellow Fiona Hill will moderate a panel discussion on how to safeguard election security. Brookings Fellow and Deputy Director of the Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative Chris Meserole will then moderate a panel discussion on how to adapt to new disinformation tactics. Questions from the audience will follow each panel.
Viewers can submit questions via email to events@brookings.edu or on Twitter using #ElectionSecurity.