'Eliminate' EVMs: X Chief Elon Musk Cites 'High' Risk Of Hacking By Humans Or AI

Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have expressed concerns over hacking risks associated with electronic voting machines (EVMs) and have advocated for the use of paper ballots to ensure election integrity.

File Photo of Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk

Source : X/@ElonMusk

Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk has called for the elimination of electronic voting machines (EVMs), citing concerns over potential hacking threats by humans or artificial intelligence. "We should eliminate electronic voting machines. The risk of being hacked by humans or AI, while small, is still too high," Musk stated.

We should eliminate electronic voting machines. The risk of being hacked by humans or AI, while small, is still too high. https://t.co/PHzJsoXpLh

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 15, 2024

This stance comes as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent candidate for President of the United States, has been advocating for a return to paper ballots to ensure election integrity. Kennedy's call to action comes in the wake of recent voting irregularities in Puerto Rico’s primary elections.

Kennedy, highlighting the issue on social media, wrote: “Puerto Rico’s primary elections just experienced hundreds of voting irregularities related to electronic voting machines, according to the Associated Press. Luckily, there was a paper trail so the problem was identified and vote tallies corrected. What happens in jurisdictions where there is no paper trail?”

He stressed the critical need for accurate vote counting and prevention of election interference, proposing a nationwide return to paper ballots. "US citizens need to know that every one of their votes were counted, and that their elections cannot be hacked. We need to return to paper ballots to avoid electronic interference with elections. My administration will require paper ballots and we will guarantee honest and fair elections," Kennedy stated.

Puerto Rico’s Elections See Voting Irregularities Linked To EVMs

The debate around EVMs has gained traction following an announcement by Puerto Rico’s elections commission on June 12, where it announced a review of its contract with Dominion Voting Systems after numerous discrepancies were uncovered during the primaries.

The primary elections in Puerto Rico have faced significant scrutiny over voting irregularities linked to EVMs, as reported by the Associated Press. The island's election commission, led by interim president Jessika Padilla Rivera, is examining the issue, which stemmed from a software malfunction causing Dominion Voting Systems' machines to incorrectly calculate vote totals.

While the results of the June 2 primary correctly identified the winners, discrepancies were found where machine-reported vote counts were lower than the paper ones in some cases. Some machines even reversed certain totals or reported zero votes for some candidates, AP reported.

Padilla Rivera emphasised the urgency of ensuring accurate election results ahead of the upcoming November elections. "The concern is that we obviously have elections in November, and we must provide the (island) not only with the assurance that the machine produces a correct result, but also that the result it produces is the same one that is reported," she said, as quoted by AP.