Election officials face security challenges before midterms

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Election officials have a long list of challenges as they prepare for the upcoming midterms. They face a myriad of threats, both foreign and domestic, as they work to protect voting systems and run a smooth election. They are also facing a wave of misinformation that has been undermining public confidence in U.S. elections. The nation’s top state election officials are gathering this week for their annual summer conference. Among the speakers Thursday was Jen Easterly, who leads the nation’s cybersecurity agency. She said Russia, China and North Korea remain “very dynamic and complex cyber threats” and criminal ransomware gangs are also a concern.