California election’s chief says recall election is secure

By Adam Beam and Kate Brumback | Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s Secretary of State said Friday she won’t necessitate a much rigorous audit of adjacent week’s callback predetermination results that could region Gov. Gavin Newsom from office, saying concerns astir the information of the state’s predetermination absorption strategy are “inaccurate.”

A radical of 8 predetermination information experts — including machine scientists, predetermination exertion experts and cybersecurity researchers — said the audit is needed aft copies of Dominion Voting System’s predetermination absorption strategy were released publically past period astatine an lawsuit organized by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.

The experts, who elaborate their concerns successful a missive to Secretary of State Shirly Weber past week, said the absorption strategy is precise akin to the 1 utilized successful 40 of California’s 58 counties, adding the menace “cannot beryllium afloat defended against by method means.”

But Weber, a Democrat who was appointed to the occupation by Newsom earlier this year, said it’s not imaginable to behaviour the benignant of audit the experts requested connected specified abbreviated notice. She said that audit requires “significant preparation, grooming and testing,” adding that astir each of the state’s section elections officers had ne'er done this benignant of audit before.

“Further, the accusation that California’s elections cannot beryllium conducted safely and securely without (a much rigorous audit) is inaccurate, arsenic California has the strictest voting strategy testing, procedures for usage and information requirements successful the nation,” Weber wrote successful a reply to the predetermination information experts, a transcript of which was obtained by The Associated Press.

The information experts privation California to bash a “risk-limiting audit,” which uses a statistical attack to marque definite that predetermination results lucifer the existent votes cast. California uses insubstantial ballots, making it easier to verify results.

Weber’s comments echoed that of galore region clerks. Donna Johnston, president of the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials, said it wasn’t applicable to execute specified a analyzable audit truthful adjacent to the callback election. She said California has aggregate safeguards successful place, adding that nary of the machines utilized to number insubstantial ballots are connected to the internet.

Santa Barbara County Clerk Joe Holland said region predetermination officials “have specified rigorous information protocols that it’s adjacent intolerable oregon anybody to get entree to the server … that tabulates the votes.”

“It’s not adjacent a concern,” helium said.

Brumback reported from Atlanta.