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Tim Harper

@tharper.bsky.social
263 followers 224 following 63 posts

Elections and Democracy Lead @cendemtech.bsky.social | Fmr Elections policy at Meta

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Reposted by Tim Harper
Larry Norden @larrynorden.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Today, the Brennan Center releases a major study on AI and its potential impact on election disinformation in the midterms. Our months-long study produced some surprising results. Some good, some alarming. 🧵 www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
brennancenter.org
Does AI Fight or Fuel Election Disinformation?
As the midterms approach, our tests reveal that popular chatbots challenge conspiracy theories. Still, they offer users the ability to create deceitful images, audio, and video.
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Reposted by Tim Harper
Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 11/08/2026
More people are relying on AI to sort fact from fiction during elections. Our testing found that while chatbots can correct misinformation, they can also help create it.
brennancenter.org
Does AI Fight or Fuel Election Disinformation?
As the midterms approach, our tests reveal that popular chatbots challenge conspiracy theories. Still, they offer users the ability to create deceitful images, audio, and video.
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Reposted by Tim Harper
Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
It should be clear by now that Trump does not actually care about "election integrity." If he did, he wouldn't have made cuts to the government agencies tasked with protecting our elections from foreign influence.
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Reposted by Tim Harper
Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
🚨BREAKING: Federal Court DISMISSES lawsuit to compel Connecticut to provide the DOJ its complete statewide voter registration database. DOJ is now 0-16 in cases to gain access to state voter files. Elias Law Group remains undefeated. www.democracydocket.com/cases/connec...
democracydocket.com
🚨 United States of America v. Thomas
Learn more.
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Reposted by Tim Harper
Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 17/07/2026
The Intelligence community, led by Trump appointees and directed by a Trump executive order, already investigated foreign interference in the 2020 election and found that no foreign actor altered any technical aspect of the vote.
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Reposted by Tim Harper
Rick Hasen @rickhasen.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Read this cdt.org/insights/faq...
cdt.org
FAQ: Voting System Vulnerabilities and How They Can Be Weaponized
Vulnerabilities in voting systems are real and worth fixing. At the same time, the manner in which they are used to fearmonger does not reflect the actual security of elections.  Security researchers ...
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Reposted by Tim Harper
Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 16/07/2026
CDT’s @tharper.bsky.social: “The Trump admin says these grant conditions take ‘decisive action’ to protect elections from foreign interference and cyberattacks, but they do the opposite, interfering with national security at the moment officials can least afford it.”
route-fifty.com
Feds tie counterterrorism grants to election security measures
The new guidance from FEMA would require states to take various steps on elections before receiving funds. Government groups criticized the move as an overreach.
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Tim Harper @tharper.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
3) The release of thousands of documents is itself a tactic that has been used in the past to build a narrative and stoke alarm among the public. Neither a mountain of documents nor technically complex claims are enough to credibly prove that an election security incident actually occurred.
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Tim Harper @tharper.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
2) Voting systems, like all critical infrastructure, has vulnerabilities. The existence of a vulnerability does not prove that it’s been exploited, let alone that an exploit altered any technical aspect of an election. Attempts to obfuscate that difference are deceptive.
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Tim Harper @tharper.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
1) the intel community, led by Trump appointees and empowered by a Trump executive order, has already concluded no foreign actor altered any technical aspect of the 2020 election, as we wrote here: cdt.org/insights/cou...
cdt.org
Countdown to the Midterms: Mapping the Rapid Evolution of Election Security
The administration of the 2024 U.S. election was a success story. Despite escalating cyber probes and physical attacks on election infrastructure, widespread information operations, and foreign interf...
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Tim Harper @tharper.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Ahead of tonight's presidential address and expected release of declassified intel on voting system vulnerabilities, here are three key points from @cdt.org to help sort real findings on foreign influence from weaponized ones: cdt.org/insights/faq...
cdt.org
FAQ: Voting System Vulnerabilities and How They Can Be Weaponized
Vulnerabilities in voting systems are real and worth fixing. At the same time, the manner in which they are used to fearmonger does not reflect the actual security of elections.  Security researchers ...
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Reposted by Tim Harper
Justin Levitt @justinlevitt.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Journos, bookmark this one for tonight. From a 10-year leader at CISA.
cdt.org
FAQ: Voting System Vulnerabilities and How They Can Be Weaponized
Vulnerabilities in voting systems are real and worth fixing. At the same time, the manner in which they are used to fearmonger does not reflect the actual security of elections.  Security researchers ...
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Reposted by Tim Harper
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
“But claiming vulnerabilities in voting systems exist is different from claiming vulnerabilities in voting systems have been exploited, & even further distinct from claiming vulnerabilities in voting systems have been exploited during live election operations…” to rig past elections.
operations.to
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Reposted by Tim Harper
Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 10/07/2026
New from CDT's @tharper.bsky.social: President Trump's firing of all sitting U.S. Election Assistance Commission commissioners raises questions beyond whether the agency can function today. It challenges whether the EAC can still fulfill the independent, bipartisan role Congress created it to serve.
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Tim Harper @tharper.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
It’s the last day to vote in primaries in North Carolina, Texas, and Arkansas. Check out our series where we discuss changes to elections in a variety of key areas since 2024 and how they may impact the midterms here:
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Reposted by Tim Harper
Rick Hasen @rickhasen.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
The Supreme Court’s Tariffs Opinion Suggest Strong Limits on President Trump’s Attempts to Exert Power over the Administration of Congressional Elections electionlawblog.org?p=154434
electionlawblog.org
The Supreme Court's Tariffs Opinion Suggest Strong Limits on President Trump's Attempts to Exert Power over the Administration of Congressional Elections #ELB
In a complex set of opinions today in Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, the Supreme Court held that Congress did not give President Trump broad authority to impose tariffs without specific authorizat...
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Tim Harper @tharper.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
DHS doesn’t protect elections by attacking election administrators and promoting partisan legislation. It protects elections by ensuring officials have the tools they need to defend election infrastructure from real cyber threats.
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Tim Harper @tharper.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
If Secretary Noem wants to strengthen election security, as she claimed during today's press conference, the most effective step would be to restore the partnerships, cybersecurity funding, and information sharing that officials actually depend on.
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Tim Harper @tharper.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
These setbacks raise the sobering possibility that the United States may enter the 2026 midterms with weakened cyber defenses, strained federal — state partnerships, and a growing disadvantage against foreign adversaries.
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Tim Harper @tharper.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Over the last year, budget cuts and policy reversals across the federal government — including at DHS — have weakened the nation’s ability to defend the cybersecurity of election infrastructure, counter foreign information operations, and share intelligence about emerging threats.
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Tim Harper @tharper.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security held a press conference on election security today that highlights the significant changes in the Agency's approach since 2024. I break down these changes and what they could mean for 2026 in my new analysis ⬇️ cdt.org/insights/cou...
cdt.org
Countdown to the Midterms: Mapping the Rapid Evolution of Election Security
The administration of the 2024 U.S. election was a success story. Despite escalating cyber probes and physical attacks on election infrastructure, widespread information operations, and foreign interf...
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Reposted by Tim Harper
Jen Fifield @jenafifield.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
NEW: A federal tool meant to find noncitizens on voter rolls is consistently marking citizens as noncitizens, especially if they were born outside the U.S., causing chaos as election clerks try not to disenfranchise voters, @zachdespart.bsky.social and I found. 🧵 www.propublica.org/article/save...
propublica.org
“Not Ready for Prime Time.” A Federal Tool to Check Voter Citizenship Keeps Making Mistakes.
The Department of Homeland Security pushed out the revamped tool while it was still adding data. That led to widespread misidentification, particularly for citizens born outside the U.S.
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Reposted by Tim Harper
Hansi Lo Wang (he/him) @hansilowang.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
NEW: A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has issued the latest court ruling that strikes down parts of President Trump's March 2025 executive order on voting, including a call to change the federal post card application that many military & overseas voters use www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
Section III.C addresses Plaintiffs’ challenges to Section 3(d), which directs the Secretary of Defense to add a documentary-proof-of-citizenship requirement to the “Federal Post Card Application,” a voter registration and ballot request form used by military and overseas voters.
The Court concludes that the directive in Section 3(d) exceeds the President’s lawful authority. Applying the presumption that Congress “intends to make major policy decisions itself, not leave those decisions to agencies,” the Court concludes that the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (“UOCAVA”) does not authorize the Executive Branch to add a documentary proof of citizenship requirement to the Federal Post Card Application. See West Virginia v. EPA, 597 U.S. 697, 723 (2022). Instead, UOCAVA manifests the contrary intent of Congress that the Federal Post Card Application should be a straightforward, easy-to-
use form and should not require documentary proof of citizenship. Because the Elections Clause assigns sole responsibility for election regulation to Congress and the States, and because the Court cannot assume that Congress has delegated this important power to the Executive Branchwithout a clear statement to that effect, the President lacks the authority to direct the addition of a documentary-proof-of-citizenship requirement by executive order.
Therefore, the Court concludes that Section 3(d) is inconsistent with the constitutional separation of powers, that it cannot lawfully be implemented, and that Plaintiffs are entitled to partial summary judgment, a declaratory judgment, and a permanent injunction.
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Tim Harper @tharper.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
When Borg was asked by Sec. Fontes about what technical improvements were being made to SAVE to prevent removal of eligible voters, Borg said “Is it a perfect system? No.” A strong endorsement.
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Reposted by Tim Harper
NYU Law Democracy Project @democracyproject.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Next up in our "100 ideas" series — New by @isabelalinzer.bsky.social @beccabranum.bsky.social @cdt.org — "Political Influencers and Democracy in the Digital Age" Part of @nyulaw.bsky.social Democracy Project's "100 Ideas in 100 Days" Read the full piece here: democracyproject.org/posts/politi...
democracyproject.org
Political Influencers and Democracy in the Digital Age
A broad range of views on democracy to help break the stalemate caused by partisan conflict.
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Reposted by Tim Harper
Jessica Huseman @jessicahuseman.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
National news outlets with this big of a platform should really weigh analysis like this with local perspective, which - I promise - comes to the opposite conclusion. This really makes me very sad.
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Reposted by Tim Harper
Miranda Bogen @mbogen.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
It's happening. OpenAI is piloting ads in ChatGPT. openai.com/index/our-ap... In introducing ads to ChatGPT, OpenAI is starting down a risky path. (1/5)
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Reposted by Tim Harper
Isabel Linzer @isabelalinzer.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
New from @aliyabhatia.bsky.social and me on how the US withdrawal from international organizations puts the globally connected, open internet at risk and threatens human rights worldwide: www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...
lawfaremedia.org
The U.S. Heel Turn on International Cooperation
The U.S.’s withdrawal from international multistakeholder fora undermines human rights, global governance, and U.S. strategic interests.
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Tim Harper @tharper.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
If Sean Plankey cannot clearly commit to protecting election infrastructure, his leadership would leave election officials vulnerable and national security at risk.
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Tim Harper @tharper.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
That uncertainty has already eroded trust and weakened our collective ability to defend elections from cyber and physical attacks.
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Tim Harper @tharper.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Over the past year, CISA has dismantled critical election security programs, disrupted information-sharing infrastructure, and left state and local officials without clear guidance or support.
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Tim Harper @tharper.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
I wrote about these key questions prior to Plankey's original nomination hearing last year. You can read the full article on @cdt.org here: cdt.org/insights/cis...
cdt.org
CISA’s Dangerous Quiet: Why Sean Plankey Must Answer for Election Security Cuts
Congress is preparing to confirm a new leader for the federal agency charged with protecting our election systems from foreign cyberattacks. But as Sean Plankey prepares to face the Senate for confirm...
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Tim Harper @tharper.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
They should press Plankey to commit to maintaining elections as a critical infrastructure subsector, to release the results of CISA’s election security review, and to clearly state which programs and services election officials can realistically rely on in the run-up to the midterms.
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Tim Harper @tharper.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
If the Senate moves forward with Plankey’s nomination, lawmakers must demand clear answers about the future of election security at CISA—and they must do so quickly.
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Tim Harper @tharper.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Sean Plankey’s re-nomination to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) comes as election officials urgently need clarity about what role—if any—the agency will play in protecting elections ahead of the 2026 midterms.
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Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 08/01/2026
🎙️ CDT’s Tim Harper on Marketplace breaks down how U.S. political campaigns used generative AI in the 2024 election — so far, more for speed than persuasion, with limited evidence of widespread voter deception.
marketplace.org
How U.S. political campaigns have used generative AI
Tim Harper, a senior policy analyst at the Center for Democracy and Technology, says the technology has thus far been used for speed rather than to persuade voters.
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Reposted by Tim Harper
David Gilbert @davidgilbert.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
It's not about drugs, or oil and it's definitely not about democracy. Donald Trump's assault on Venezuela and capture of Maduro is all about proving the 2020 election was stolen from him—at least according to election deniers and MAGa influencers www.wired.com/story/electi...
wired.com
Election Deniers Think the Venezuela Attack Is All About 2020
Election deniers are sure that the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro is proof that the Venezuelan government rigged the 2020 election in Joe Biden’s favor.
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Reposted by Tim Harper
The Downballot @the-downballot.com · 07/01/2026
An automatic recount is required under SC law if the margin between the two candidates is less than 1% of the total vote, which would be 34 votes. Based on where things stand now, that puts us in recount territory, since the Republican leads by 21 votes. Such margins are tough to overcome though.
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Reposted by Tim Harper
Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 30/12/2025
CDT’s @isabelalinzer.bsky.social + @tharper.bsky.social cover past federal attempts, the SAVE system, key legal questions, and potential consequences if voter data is exposed or misused. Read the full analysis here:
cdt.org
CDT, The Leadership Conference, and Protect Democracy Release New Analysis of Federal Efforts to Access Voter Data
As the federal government rapidly seeks to gain access to state voter data, CDT, the Leadership Conference’s Center for Civil Rights and Technology, and Protect Democracy developed an explainer that analyzes the potential harms and lasting impacts of the federal government’s effort to transform the use of sensitive information that states collect to administer elections […]
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Reposted by Tim Harper
Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 30/12/2025
ICYMI: CDT, the @civilrightsorg.bsky.social, and @protectdemocracy.org released a new analysis on the federal government’s push to access state voter rolls. Why it matters – voter privacy, election security, and the risks of centralizing sensitive data. cdt.org/insights/cdt...
White document on grey background.
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Reposted by Tim Harper
Votebeat @votebeat.org · 18/12/2025
Some registered voters Texas flagged as ‘potential noncitizens’ had provided proof of citizenship
bit.ly
U.S. citizens again caught in Texas voter roll investigation
Some registered voters Texas flagged as ‘potential noncitizens’ had provided proof of citizenship
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Bruno J. Navarro @brunojnavarro.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
Small changes to the tone of posts fed to users of X can increase feelings of political polarisation as much in a week as would have historically taken at least three years, research has found.
theguardian.com
Small changes to ‘for you’ feed on X can rapidly increase political polarisation
Study finds that a week of political content can bring about a shift in views that previously would have taken three years
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Isabel Linzer @isabelalinzer.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
New report alert🚨🚨 Political influencers aren’t quite activists, media, or advertisers. So what are they? How do social media policies and government regulations apply? 🧵 on this transformative trend in democracy and politics: cdt.org/insights/arc...
cdt.org
Architects of Online Influence: How Creators, Platforms, and Policymakers Shape Political Speech
[ PDF version ] A social media creator gave gifts worth tens of thousands of dollars to Donald Trump during a livestream ahead of the 2024 presidential election. A progressive influencer ranted in a v...
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Michelle M. Shafer @michelleshafer.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
I'm attending the @ncslorg.bsky.social Town Hall: 2025 Post-Election Recap and Insights. Join me on November 7. www.linkedin.com/events/ncslt...
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Tim Harper @tharper.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
Election officials shouldn’t have to face growing danger with shrinking support. We can’t let threat actors set the terms for voter participation. Election security must remain a national security priority.
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Tim Harper @tharper.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
These NJ threats remind us: protecting democracy means protecting the people and places where democracy happens. That requires continued investment in cyber and physical security — every election.
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Tim Harper @tharper.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
And unlike in past cycles, CISA did not issue public guidance this year about likely threats to voting operations. That leaves state and local officials with less warning and fewer resources — even as threats increase.
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Tim Harper @tharper.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
But today, that capacity has been significantly degraded. CISA has cut red teams, incident responders, and regional election security advisors. The EI-ISAC — which once provided real-time threat sharing — has been completely defunded by CISA.
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Tim Harper @tharper.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
That support came from dedicated election security programs at the federal level. CISA and the EI-ISAC specifically alerted officials to coordinated bomb threat plans before Election Day in 2024. cdt.org/insights/wit...
cdt.org
With Outcome of CISA Election Security Review Looming, Agency Must Protect Critical Infrastructure
On Friday, February 14th, acting Executive Director of the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Bridget Bean issued a memo to agency staff announcing that all election security work would b...
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Tim Harper @tharper.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
We’ve already seen the stakes: in 2024, over 100 bomb threats tied to Russian-linked actors targeted election operations nationwide. Because of strong preparation and federal support, voting continued with minimal disruption.
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