US finds no evidence of foreign interference in 2022 midterm elections

[December 19, 2023]  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. government report on Monday found that hackers linked to Russia and China targeted some election systems during the 2022 midterms, but found no evidence that foreign governments compromised the vote.  

A voter casts his ballot for midterm elections at a polling station in Marietta, Georgia, U.S., November 8, 2022. REUTERS/Bob Strong/File Photo

The U.S. Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security issued a public report concluding that no foreign government or agent undermined the security or integrity of election systems.

The report found that pro-Russian activist hackers claimed to have temporarily restricted access to the website of a state election office. Hackers the United States accused of having links to China also scanned both election related and non-election related state government websites, the report found.

"There is no evidence that this activity prevented voting, changed votes, or disrupted the ability to tally votes or to transmit election results in a timely manner; altered any technical aspect of the voting process; or otherwise compromised the integrity of voter registration information or any ballots cast during the 2022 federal elections," the report concluded.

The public report followed a classified assessment on foreign election interference delivered to President Joe Biden earlier this year.

Republicans captured a narrow majority in the House of Representatives in the 2022 midterms, while Democrats defended their narrow Senate majority.

(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; Editing by Scott Malone and Bill Berkrot)

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