By Danika Joy Fornear
As a candidate for Florida State House, I’ve experienced firsthand something I never expected: foreign digital traffic from Russia and China visiting my campaign website. This isn’t a federal race; it’s a local campaign, yet I see these foreign “visitors” taking an interest. This might seem like a minor curiosity or even a one-off anomaly, but the fact that this kind of activity is happening at the local level should give every American pause. This kind of attention from foreign actors is part of a much larger problem that has been simmering under the surface for years: Russian and other foreign influence in U.S. elections, from the national stage all the way down to state and local races.
When Russian election interference is mentioned, it often conjures dismissive responses or accusations of peddling conspiracy theories. It’s easy for Americans to brush off the idea of foreign influence as something either overblown or relevant only to presidential campaigns. However, this is exactly what makes us vulnerable. Our reluctance to confront or even discuss foreign interference at the grassroots level leaves a massive blind spot that foreign adversaries are more than willing to exploit. By ignoring this reality, we’re essentially handing over an open invitation for foreign powers to influence not only national but local politics and erode trust in our democratic institutions from the ground up.
The 2016 presidential election marked the first time many Americans became aware of the extent to which foreign actors, particularly Russia, were involved in misinformation and influence campaigns. Since then, there have been repeated warnings from the intelligence community, cybersecurity experts, and investigative journalists that this threat is persistent, evolving, and ongoing. Russia’s approach to interference isn’t about simply hacking voting machines—though there have been attempts to do so—it’s about using complex influence strategies to disrupt our political process by sowing confusion, distrust, and division among American citizens. Russia and other adversaries exploit existing divisions, using targeted disinformation campaigns to amplify hot-button issues and drive a wedge between already polarized communities.
Consider the sheer scale and pervasiveness of these efforts. Foreign influence doesn’t just target national politics; it reaches down into state, county, and municipal campaigns, including races like mine. Why would Russia or China care about who’s running for a state house seat in Florida? It’s because state and local leaders play critical roles in shaping policies on issues that matter most to people’s daily lives. State-level decisions on topics such as environmental protections, healthcare access, and voting laws have massive, far-reaching consequences. Foreign adversaries are well aware that undermining these levels of government creates ripple effects that weaken the larger structure of American democracy. By destabilizing trust and coherence at the community level, foreign actors can increase the chaos and division that eventually bleed into national politics.
So why don’t we, as a nation, treat this issue with the urgency it deserves? There are several reasons, and one of the most significant is the stigma attached to discussing Russian influence. After the 2016 election, the topic quickly became politically charged. Many dismissed concerns about Russian interference as either partisan attacks or paranoid exaggerations. Even when hard evidence emerged—confirming the extent of Russian disinformation campaigns and cyber-attacks—discussions of these findings were met with accusations of “fake news” or conspiracy theories. As a result, foreign influence has become a politically toxic topic, one that few candidates, pundits, or citizens are willing to take on publicly.
Additionally, there’s a psychological component to this silence. It’s uncomfortable and unsettling to think about foreign governments actively meddling in our elections, influencing our information, and undermining our communities. It’s easier to assume that the problem doesn’t exist or is only relevant to high-level offices, rather than facing the reality that every level of American politics, including local races, is vulnerable. There’s also a practical challenge: addressing foreign influence means dedicating resources to cybersecurity, disinformation training, and more transparent campaign practices—efforts that take money, expertise, and time, and that may not yield immediate, visible results.
Another factor is the nature of the threat itself. Russian influence doesn’t look like a blatant attack; it’s subtle, nuanced, and often invisible. It involves tactics like disinformation, social media manipulation, and the cultivation of false narratives designed to spread mistrust and confusion. These tactics are hard to identify and even harder to counter effectively. For example, a Russian-sponsored troll farm might produce divisive content targeting both sides of a political debate, with the goal of heightening tension and resentment. In this way, they don’t necessarily need to support one candidate over another; they simply need to destabilize the process, making American voters lose faith in each other and in their institutions.
If we’re serious about protecting our democracy, we need to confront these threats head-on. Every voter deserves to know the truth about the extent of foreign influence, and every candidate—from local offices to Congress—needs to be vigilant about protecting their platforms and the integrity of their campaigns. We can start by acknowledging the problem openly, rather than allowing it to fester under the surface. We need to make a collective commitment to holding ourselves and our political systems accountable, and we must demand that our government provide the resources and education needed to counteract these threats.
We’re at a crossroads where we must decide whether we’re willing to sacrifice some convenience and comfort to safeguard our democracy. Foreign influence in elections is not just a distant, abstract concern; it’s a reality that is happening now, at all levels of government, in races large and small. If we continue to ignore it, we risk watching our democratic institutions weaken from within, allowing foreign actors to gain an insidious foothold in American politics. By staying silent, we’re choosing passivity over action. Now is the time to demand transparency, defend our elections, and remind ourselves that protecting democracy is not a partisan issue—it’s a patriotic duty.
コメント