In 2016, Russian hackers probed voting databases and systems in all 50 states in what the Department of Homeland Security and FBI believe was simply research for the 2020 election. Those Russian hackers have only become more capable in the past four years. Yet the Republican Congressional leadership continues to block every piece of proposed legislation to fund voting systems with paper trails, audits, and upgrades that would protect vulnerable voter registration databases from cyber attack. Why?

COVID-19 has made voting in person a danger to every voter’s health. The HEROES Act, passed by the House, contains funding and provisions to make voting safer for everyone, including increased voting by mail. Yet the HEROES Act has been blocked in the Senate and vote-by-mail is continuously attacked by Trump and his GOP. Why?

Apparently Republicans are afraid of free and fair elections. And time is running out for Congress to protect voters’ rights in 2020. To save the coming election, the Senate must act now to pass the HEROES Act and election-security legislation.

Beverly Sherrill

Florence