Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) warns that Russian hackers already have gained access to election systems in some Florida counties and have the ability to interfere in the midterms.
"They have already penetrated certain counties in the state and they now have free rein to move about," Nelson told the Tampa Bay Times.
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Nelson, who is up for re-election in November, and Florida's other U.S. Senator, Republican Marco Rubio, wrote a July 2 letter to the 67 county election supervisors about potential threats. But that letter lacked the specificity Nelson has laid out.
"County election boards should not be expected to stand alone against a hostile foreign government," the lawmakers said in recommending "a wide range of services" from DHS to strengthen security.
"We were requested by the chairman and vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee to let supervisors of election in Florida know that the Russians are in their records," Nelson told the Times on Wednesday. (audio is at the bottom of this post.)
"This is no-fooling time," said Nelson, who noted he's a member of the Armed Service subcommittee on cybersecurity.
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Nelson's remarks immediately caused a major stir among county elections officials, who are testing equipment, training poll workers and counting mail ballots in advance of the Aug. 28 primary.
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"You can imagine the chaos that would occur on election day when the voters get to the polls and they say, 'I'm sorry Mr. Smith, I'm sorry Mr., Jones, you're not registered,' " Nelson told reporters in Tampa on Wednesday.
"That's exactly what the Russians want to do. They want to sow chaos in our democratic institutions."
Bill Nelson: The Russians have penetrated some Florida voter registration systems (Tampa Bay Times)