Are Midterms Safe from Cybersecurity Threats?
Just three months before the 2026 midterms, CISA held its first broad security call with state election officials, and some said it came too late. Students explore who protects elections and how.
CISA, the federal agency tasked with protecting the cybersecurity of the nation’s critical infrastructure, held a conference call with state election officials to discuss the upcoming midterms. Despite President Trump’s claims about the risk of hackers targeting voting systems, this was one of CISA’s first broad outreach efforts just three months ahead of elections. News Hour's Liz Landers reports.
View the transcript of the story.
NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What do you want to learn more about? You can also make a Google doc copy of these general discussion questions.
Warm-Up Questions
- What is CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency), and what role does it take in national elections?
- Who met with CISA to discuss midterms?
- Why did some participants think that the call came too late?
- How might the security of elections come under threat in 2026, according to this segment?
- When did CISA lose a third of its workforce?
Essential Questions
- What do you think might be the biggest threat to election security in 2026? Did this segment change your opinion at all?
- Do you think the federal government should have a role in ensuring secure elections? If so, what should that role be?
- Media literacy: In this segment, anchor Geoff Bennett speaks with reporter Liz Landers about conversations she had had with election officials regarding their call with CISA. Why do you think this segment focuses on this reporting rather than directly interviewing election officials about the call?
What Students Can Do
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission is "an independent, bipartisan commission whose mission is to help election officials improve the administration of elections and help Americans participate in the voting process." The EAC offers voluntary guidance, but has no authority to compel election officials to follow its advice.
What advice do they have about securing elections? Watch the following video, then discuss as a class — What security measures are used to guard elections in your community? How could you find out?
2026 Election Lesson Plans and Resources
Explore our election resources to engage your students in learning about the election process and its significance at every level. Discover lessons on election fundamentals, laws, security, current events, youth involvement, and historic U.S. elections.
Republished with permission from PBS News Hour Classroom.
PBS News Hour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories. The site combines the best of News Hour's reliable, trustworthy news program with lesson plans developed specifically for... See More
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