U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) on Jan. 21 connected local election officials with representatives from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) during a bipartisan election security roundtable held at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, N.Y.
“As we move closer to the 2020 election, it is critical that our local election officials have the resources that they need to keep our election secure,” said Rep. Katko, ranking member of the U.S. House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Innovation.
The congressman was joined by Republican and Democratic commissioners and IT professionals from the local Onondaga County Board of Elections, as well as representatives from the New York State Board of Elections during the event, which was part of CISA’s outreach efforts to local election officials through its #Protect2020 campaign. Goals of the program include achieving 100 percent audibility, patching election systems, and adoption of cyber best practices by state and local governments.
“Today’s roundtable presented an opportunity for local Republican and Democratic commissioners from our Boards of Elections to speak directly with Homeland Security officials dedicated to assessing risks and protecting local elections from vulnerabilities,” Rep. Katko said, noting that central New York election commissioners and information security professionals “are on the front lines in monitoring threats and implementing security practices.”
Rep. Katko added that the roundtable participants “were able to share their challenges and ideas with Homeland Security professionals as they work to instill confidence in our electoral system in 2020 and beyond.”