The US election system has safeguards. But human nature is a vulnerability

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hacking a local election system in the United States wouldn't be easy, and secretly altering votes on a scale massive enough to change the outcome of the presidential race would be impossible, election officials have said, thanks to decentralized systems, paper records for nearly all ballots, exhaustive reviews, legal due process and decades of work by American election officials, volunteers and citizens.

But foreign actors and domestic extremist groups looking to meddle in next week's election can target a much weaker link: voters' perceptions and emotions. Those intent on undermining confidence in U.S. democracy don't have to change any votes if they can convince enough Americans not to trust the outcome.

It's a possible scenario particularly concerning to intelligence analysts and officials tasked with protecting America's election: An adversary tries to hack a state or local election system and then releases a document — perhaps a fake one or even material that is publicly available — and suggests it's evidence of vote rigging.

Or, a video is crafted showing someone supposedly hacking into a ballot scanner, voting machine or a state voter registration system. But it hasn't happened, and it would not be true.