New York State Board of Elections officials told a Canandaigua audience that the state's voting machines are not connected to the internet during a Sept. 20 discussion about election security ahead of the midterms.
The Ewing Canandaigua Forum opened its 15th season with the discussion featuring Ben Spear, the board's chief infrastructure and security officer, and public information director Kathleen McGrath. WXXI “Connections” host Evan Dawson moderated the program, “Protecting Your Ballot: Election Security Ahead of the 2026 Midterms.”
The speakers discussed threats to election systems, safeguards for election technology, and the work of state, local and federal agencies, according to a release from the George M. Ewing Canandaigua Forum. Spear also directs the Board of Elections' Secure Elections Center. The discussion addressed misinformation and public mistrust, including ways voters can distinguish reliable election information from misleading claims.
Audience members raised questions about whether voting machines could be hacked. Spear and McGrath emphasized that New York's voting machines are not connected to the internet. The state Board of Elections likewise says its machines are never connected to the internet; New York election law bars voting machines from having technology capable of transmitting or receiving data through the internet or wirelessly.
Barbara Risser, chair of the forum's board, said the event was intended to give residents a clearer view of the work involved in protecting elections. The release did not provide a transcript or detailed accounts of the officials' answers to other audience questions.
The forum also introduced an updated logo and visual identity, which appeared in the theater and its season program. After the discussion, guests met the speakers at a reception featuring Keuka Spring Vineyards of Penn Yan, the first local winery partner in the forum's reception series this season.
The next program, “Facing Parkinson’s: New Science, New Strategies, Real Lives,” is scheduled for 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11, at the Fort Hill Performing Arts Center. Neurologist and researcher Ray Dorsey and physician, author and Parkinson's patient Sara Whittingham are scheduled to speak, with Maggie Kuhl of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research moderating. Program information is available from the forum at gmeforum.org.
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