Secretary of State Says Russia Did Not Hack Oregon's Election Systems

New report says 39 states experienced invasions of voting systems. Dennis Richardson says Oregon was among the lucky 11 to escape the cyber-attack.

U.S. Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer DeAnna Melleby, Information Systems Security Officer for the Coast Guard Command, Control, Communication and Information Technology unit at Coast Guard Base Boston, peers through a space in a server April 20, 2017. Melleby runs a cyber-security program for the Coast Guard. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Barresi.)
By Nigel Jaquiss

Last week, the news agency Bloomberg reported that Russian hacking of U.S. voting systems  before the presidential election was far more widespread than previously reported—39 states experienced invasions of their voter databases and software systems.

Was Oregon one of the 39? Our secretary of state says no.

The day after Bloomberg's June 13 report, Oregon Secretary of State Dennis Richardson signed a statement saying this state experienced no incursion into its voting systems.

"In short, Oregon elections systems were not hacked," Richardson writes. "While attempts to hack into Secretary of State computers are a frequent occurrence and a constant threat, our I.T. security team is well-qualified and thoroughly determined to prevent hackers from breaking into our systems."

Richardson, the highest-ranking Republican in a state government dominated by Democrats, directed press to a National Association of Secretaries of State report saying the Russian hack of election systems was minimal. That report seems to contradict Bloomberg's assertions.

WW asked Richardson's office to respond directly to the Bloomberg report. On June 15, his chief of staff confirmed: Oregon wasn't one of the 39 hacked states.

"No," said chief of staff Debra Royal, "no Russian hacking detected in an Oregon election system."

The Bloomberg report paints a dark picture of U.S. cyber-security in an era when Russian hackers are spreading misinformation and anxiety. And if Oregon was one of the lucky 11 states this time, it may not be so fortunate in the next election—or so says the former FBI director.

Bloomberg reports:

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