Russian operatives have “penetrated” some of Florida’s voter registration systems ahead of the 2018 midterms, Sen. Bill Nelson said Wednesday, adding new urgency to concerns about hacking.
The state, however, said it has received “zero information” supporting his claim.
“They have already penetrated certain counties in the state and they now have free rein to move about,” Nelson told the Tampa Bay Times before a campaign event in Tampa. He said something similar a day earlier in Tallahassee but declined to elaborate.
“That’s classified,” the Democrat said Tuesday. He is facing a re-election challenge in November from Gov. Rick Scott.
Nelson and Florida’s other senator, Republican Marco Rubio, wrote a July 2 letter to the 67 county election supervisors about potential threats. But that letter lacked the specificity Nelson has laid out.
