California - San Mateo County
Program Title
Innovative Cybersecurity and Election Security for Vote-by-Mail/Vote Center Election Environment
Program Summary
As the first county in the State of California, to successfully conduct the first Vote-by-Mail/Vote Center Election, San Mateo County was placed in the position of pioneering new and innovative technologies to protect the newly created Elections infrastructure from cyber-attacks initiated by malicious hackers, criminals, and dangerous nation state actors.
The election model established a new Elections Infrastructure comprised of Vote-by-Mail, Vote Centers (45) and Drop Boxes (42). Critical to the successful implementation of the Vote-by-Mail/Vote Center model, was the ability of the County to communicate and share voter registration data in real time to process and register voters at Vote Centers. The conduct of safe and secure elections under the new election model depended on "impenetrable connectivity"at all Vote Centers. Our Vote Centers are located in both urban and rural neighborhoods and our IT professionals were charged with developing secure connections through innovative technologies such as CradlePoint routers, Tenex e-Pollbooks, remote device management, cloud service administration and GPS monitoring. Our security protocols include GPS tracking of all ballot boxes in real time using GPS, a true innovation in California elections.
The success of our innovative technologies have protected our Election Infrastructure, providing a safe and secure election environment.
The election model established a new Elections Infrastructure comprised of Vote-by-Mail, Vote Centers (45) and Drop Boxes (42). Critical to the successful implementation of the Vote-by-Mail/Vote Center model, was the ability of the County to communicate and share voter registration data in real time to process and register voters at Vote Centers. The conduct of safe and secure elections under the new election model depended on "impenetrable connectivity"at all Vote Centers. Our Vote Centers are located in both urban and rural neighborhoods and our IT professionals were charged with developing secure connections through innovative technologies such as CradlePoint routers, Tenex e-Pollbooks, remote device management, cloud service administration and GPS monitoring. Our security protocols include GPS tracking of all ballot boxes in real time using GPS, a true innovation in California elections.
The success of our innovative technologies have protected our Election Infrastructure, providing a safe and secure election environment.