Arkansas election officials consider AI threats as they coordinate security plans

Voters cast their ballots at a polling location at Sequoyah United Methodist Church in Fayetteville on March 5, 2024. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)

For the first time, Arkansas election officials have added artificial intelligence to their list of concerns while preparing for a general election.

The State Board of Election Commissioners oversees all elections in Arkansas, and officials have been gearing up for November’s general election since last fall. Ongoing preparations include coordinating with key players during what SBEC Director Chris Madison calls “election month,” which covers early voting, Election Day and the certification process that follows.

“What we want is a no-drama election [where] voters show up, cast their ballot and then we get good results, timely counted and certified, and there’s like no news stories,” Madison said.

Madison said his primary concern with artificial intelligence is that quick-spreading false information could overwhelm online channels on Election Day and discourage the public from voting.

“If you hear something that comports with your worldview, then you’re more likely to believe it than disbelieve it,” Madison said. “There’s a lot of people that are suspicious of elections and the processes, and it’s because they don’t necessarily understand all the processes that go into play.”

For example, a photo of officials conducting maintenance on election equipment could spread false messaging that the well-secured machines have been hacked, Madison said. To combat this, Madison said he’s establishing relationships with members of the press.

“A kernel of a little bit of truth could turn into a big popcorn of falseness,” he said. “How do we get ahead of those stories, address those stories or get good information out? That’s the type of stuff we’re talking about.”

At the secretary of state’s office, a team works to ensure candidates, ballot measures and absentee ballots are properly prepared, certified and distributed.

Spokesperson Chris Powell said he recognizes AI technology is “expanding and the potential for that technology is, as yet, unknown.”

The office isn’t moderating the technology, and Powell urged voters to consult with official sources for election-related information, as “inaccurate or deceptive information” can spread quickly.

Safety concerns

Beyond potential AI-related threats, the State Board of Election Commissioners is working closely with the secretary of state’s office, law enforcement agencies and county officials to secure the physical safety of the people at polling sites and deal with threats to election integrity.

Both Madison and Powell said they have had no indication that there will be any election-related violent threats in Arkansas, but the two agencies working with county officials will be the key to a problem-free election.

“One of the big things that we’re doing is making sure that information is flowing from the top down and the bottom up,” Madison said. “If we’re having an incident occurring in a county — we’re working real hard with our county people to know to contact us with the secretary of state’s office so that we can make sure that that’s not occurring elsewhere.”

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Each Arkansas county has a three-person election commission that prepares polling sites and conducts voting on Election Day. The county election commissioners are also responsible for recruiting and training poll workers.

Angela Jean Scott, Republican chair of the Johnson County Board of Election Commissioners, said local poll workers have expressed concerns about Election Day violence based on stories they see in the news.

To protect everyone involved on Election Day, Scott said the commission has been coordinating with local law enforcement and emergency management personnel about potential violent altercations and natural disasters.

From gas leaks to fires, tornadoes and physical altercations, Scott said the commission is prepared for a number of emergencies.

“We want our poll workers to feel secure, and that’s why we’re going through these extra measures to make them feel that we’re looking out for them, because we want them back in two years,” Scott said. “We need them.”

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Though Scott said she doesn’t foresee any violence occurring in Johnson County on Election Day, plainclothes officers will be visiting the 12 voting centers throughout the day. If violence does occur, Scott said the best approach is to call 911.

“Because we are a county that doesn’t have a huge expansion of law enforcement, you can’t just have people on standby in areas,” Scott said. “They actually are out working, and so they will be in that area just as soon as they’re called in case of an emergency.”

Johnson County has a population of about 26,000 residents. Clarksville is the county seat, and rural mountain towns dot the northern part of the county.

Election integrity

Election officials’ safety plans don’t stop at keeping people safe, but also extend to the security of ballots.

When the Advocate interviewed Scott, who also serves as Johnson County’s election coordinator, she was ensuring the software within voting machines was accounted for and working, which is a process she referred to as “logistics and accuracy.”

Next week, a small team will send sample ballots through the county’s 55 machines to confirm the selection of all candidates and measures on 76 different ballot types works correctly.

This test process is open to the public for observation and ends on Oct. 11, Scott said. Afterward, the machines are zeroed out and secured until Election Day when a tape showing each machine’s zeroed status will be posted at polling locations.

“As a commission, we have really tried to push education of how the equipment works so people have more faith in it,” said Scott, who also recently spoke to the local Rotary Club about the voting equipment.

During a recent experimental hand-count of sample ballots to verify the machines were tabulating correctly, Scott found human error and machine accuracy.

“These machines are 100% accurate, so I have a lot of faith in them,” she said. “I do not want to hand count ballots.”

The ballots are also considered during each emergency plan, Scott said. Two people are always required to be with the ballots, and after Election Day they are sealed and stored until the certification process begins.

November’s general election will be the first since the Arkansas attorney general’s office launched its Election Integrity Unit. Through the leadership of Wayne Bewley, a former Little Rock assistant police chief, the office will investigate any reports related to the election.

Reports could include residents’ problems with ballot presentation, how a count is being conducted at a polling place or any feature of Election Day that seems amiss, said Jeff LeMaster, spokesperson for the attorney general’s office.

The investigations are a reactive measure to issues that could arise on Election Day, LeMaster said.

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