The previous federal election made clear that election officials are in a new operating environment. We have reached a critical moment in our democracy fraught with both challenges and opportunity, and a continuous need to improve the resilience of our election systems.
Achieving this goal however requires a coordinated national response from both the government and the private sector to bolster the vast web of physical and online security, election personnel, and the different technologies and processes in each jurisdiction that make up a secure election system. The increasing complex demands of securing elections and the resources available for officials will be the focus of the panel “Election Security: Solutions and Opportunities” during the upcoming EAC Summit: The 2018 Federal Election. This morning, the EAC announced the four expert panelists who will join me for that discussion:
- Jeremy Epstein, Deputy Division Director for Computer and Network Systems Research,
- National Science Foundation
- Secretary Nellie Gorbea, Rhode Island Secretary of State
- Jeramy Gray, Assistant Executive Officer for Technology and Planning, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, California
- David Stafford, Supervisor of Elections, Escambia County, Florida
- Kim Wyman, Washington Secretary of State
Managing the many components of election administration and the security measures intended to protect them has become increasingly complex. Funding for new election equipment and information technology training is scarce, leaving many election officials to look outside the election community for expertise. This need has generated a host of innovative new election security approaches and resources, such as tabletop playbooks, customized information technology trainings, and best practices handbooks. Even so, more resources and services are needed ahead of the 2018 midterm elections and beyond. Our expert panel will look at the election security challenges that lie ahead and the best, most successful approaches available to address these threats.
We hope you’ll join us for the discussion on Wednesday, January 10, 2018 at the National Press Club. Please visit our EAC Summit: The 2018 Federal Election webpage to learn more about the day’s events and to reserve your spot!