AUSTIN, Texas (KXAN) – While organizing for local conventions, Glen Maxey, legislative affairs director for the Texas Democratic Party, found almost 50 email registrations that seemed odd. He thinks it was a foray into Texas politics by Russian hackers.
To attend the Democratic State Convention this summer in Fort Worth, Texas voters must register on the party website. People will then be directed to attend their local county elections to be selected.
While Maxey was looking through the database of failed registrants, usually mistakes in an individual’s address or name, he found that 48 emails didn’t have any Texas address connected to them. Twenty-four emails had Russian domain names — .ru — and IP addresses based in Russia.
Maxey says he contacted the Secretary of State’s office, but the state does not have any regulating body to look into this situation or any similar ones.
“I don’t know what they’re looking for. They’re just looking for any way to get in and cause mischief,” said Maxey.
NBC News reporter Bill Arkin took those to his espionage sources specializing in Russian interference.
“Who all agreed that this was, in fact, one of the first cases that they had seen that was tangible indicating Russian probing of the 2018 midterms,” said Arkin.
Maxey doesn’t know if the emails truly came from Russia but feels like the feds and the state are not taking this issue seriously and wants them to investigate.
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