California

Strengthening Plans to Protect California Elections From Hackers

Concerned about cybersecurity, California is inspecting and reinforcing its elections systems on a daily basis.

That’s what the Secretary of State told NBC Bay Area’s and Telemundo 48’s public affairs show, “Comunidad Del Valle.”

“In 2016 there is absolutely zero evidence that there was any hack, or breach, or compromise of any type, by the Russians or anybody else.“, said Secretary of State Alex Padilla. “Not that they weren’t trying.”

Padilla says California is already implementing some of the procedures suggested this week by the U.S. Senate’s Intelligence Committee. Committee member and U.S. Senator Kamala Harris said this week that the nation should implement a paper-only ballot system to avoid hacking by foreign entities.

Padilla says those threatening entities include Russia, North Korean and China.

“A lot of the recommendations you’re going to hear come out of Washington are from a national perspective… a lot of those recommendations are based on what California already has in place," Padilla said.

In a wide-ranging interview, Padilla also said his office’s pre-registration program has seen a huge spike in sign-ups since the high school shooting in Florida.

The program allows teens to register to vote before they turn 18, so they can hit the ground running when they become of age.

“If what we’re seeing right now in high schools across the country is any indicator, we’re in for some strong leadership in a few years," Padilla said.

Comunidad Del Valle will air this Sunday at 4 p.m. on NBC Bay Area and 11 a.m. on Telemundo 48.

Contact Us