With the midterm primaries about to go into full swing, the Department of Homeland Security is playing catch-up in helping to ensure that state election systems are secure against cyber-tampering by the Russians or others bent on mischief.

The department says it has completed on-site risk assessments of election systems in just nine of 17 states that have formally requested them so far. It has pledged to do so by November for every state that asks.

The security reviews are designed to identify any weaknesses that could be exploited by hackers.

Homeland Security officials attribute the backlog to increased demand for such reviews since the 2016 presidential election. They say they are devoting more money and shifting resources to reduce wait times.

The security reviews typically take two weeks each.

 
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