Cascos added that his office could help set up a meeting for Russian representatives to speak with local election officials in Harris County, home to Houston. Schedler explained that election officials were still reeling from the impact of the historic flooding that devastated a swath of Louisiana in August. The FBI has warned state officials to watch for intrusions into election systems, and officials said they believed Russians were behind an assault on Arizona’s election system. The Department of Homeland Security has offered state and local election officials help in preventing or responding to Election Day cybersecurity disruptions. During a briefing, State Department spokesman John Kirby said that despite the U.S. government’s belief that Russia is trying to impact the election, he didn’t believe his department had discouraged any states from accepting Russian observers.

Source: Washington Post October 21, 2016 19:26 UTC