SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has advocated for the elimination of electronic voting machines (EVMs), citing concerns that these machines could be vulnerable to hacking by humans or artificial intelligence.
Musk echoed the sentiments of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent candidate in the US presidential race, who has called for a return to paper ballots.
“We should eliminate electronic voting machines. The risk of them being hacked by humans or AI, although small, is still too high,” Musk wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter), sharing a post by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who had previously highlighted irregularities with EVMs during elections in Puerto Rico.
In response to recent voting irregularities in Puerto Rico’s primary elections, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called for a return to paper ballots to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.
“Puerto Rico’s primary elections recently experienced hundreds of voting irregularities related to electronic voting machines. Fortunately, there was a paper trail, so the problem was identified, and the vote tallies were corrected,” said Kennedy in his original post, citing the Associated Press.
He stressed the importance of ensuring every vote is accurately counted and preventing election interference, advocating for a nationwide return to paper ballots.
“What happens in jurisdictions where there is no paper trail? US citizens need to know that every one of their votes is 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 guarantee honest and fair elections,” Kennedy stated.