The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) – which in recent years has taken an outsized role in helping to ensure the security of elections run by state and local authorities throughout the country – said today that it had seen no credible threats to election infrastructure and processes as many states held off-year elections for state legislative and other offices.
“We continue to see no specific or credible threats to election infrastructure,” a CISA spokesperson said at a media briefing today.
“We remain confident in the security and resilience of the elections process because of the extensive preparation that goes into every election,” the spokesperson said, including “rigorous defense in depth approach to election infrastructure security at the state and local level, and then numerous safeguards in place at every stop of the election process.”
The agency spokesperson said CISA was “actively engaged in providing technical security support” to state and local election authorities.
In addition to election day support, “the Federal government and the entire lesson community are working year-round to ensure the security of the electoral process and defend against the range of cyber-physical and operational threats” that may seek to undermine elections, the spokesperson said.
In a separate announcement, CISA Director Jen Easterly said the agency was undertaking its election security mission through its Elections Operations Center in Arlington, Va.
That center, the agency said, brings together Federal partners, state and local election officials, and private sector election partners to share real-time threat information.
“As many Americans make their way to the polls today, I want to express my gratitude to the election officials and poll workers who serve on the front lines to ensure the security and integrity of our democratic process,” Easterly said.
