A growing number of election offices are transitioning to verified .gov domains to bolster protection against impersonation, phishing attacks, and misinformation, according to a report released Friday by the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington-based think tank.
The report, which analyzes data from the Center for Tech and Civic Life on U.S. local election office websites, reveals that nearly one-third of the country’s over 7,000 election office sites have adopted .gov domains since 2022.
William Adler, associate director of the Elections Project at the Bipartisan Policy Center and a co-author of the report, expressed cautious optimism about the trend. “While the progress is promising, there is still significant work to be done,” Adler told StateScoop.
Encouraging Security Measures
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the FBI advocate for the adoption of .gov domains by election offices to enhance public trust in official websites and emails and to mitigate phishing threats. .gov domains, available for free since 2021, are exclusively reserved for verified government entities, which helps to prevent the dissemination of false election information and the collection of personal data by malicious actors.
Despite the benefits, many election websites continue to use .com, .org, or .net domains, which are easily accessible for purchase and can be exploited for spreading misleading information or phishing.
“There are few barriers for malicious actors looking to create fake election sites, making the transition to .gov crucial,” Adler noted. “Without this move, we rely heavily on search engines like Google to direct users to legitimate sites.”
Generative AI and Implementation Challenges
The report also highlights the increasing role of generative AI tools, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, in enabling the creation of deceptive election websites. A May report by OpenAI revealed the termination of several accounts linked to foreign influence operations, though these efforts reportedly had minimal impact.
The Bipartisan Policy Center’s report acknowledges that smaller election offices, in particular, face challenges in adopting .gov domains. These offices often lack dedicated IT staff and may encounter difficulties with the time and cost of rebranding.
“For smaller jurisdictions with limited staff, the transition to a .gov domain, while relatively straightforward, still requires effective management,” Adler explained. “Changing public-facing materials close to an election can create confusion and operational issues.”
Adler advises election offices to consider transitioning to .gov domains only after the November elections to maintain consistency and avoid potential disruptions. “Once the results are certified, it would be an ideal time for officials to plan and execute the switch to .gov,” he concluded.
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