With the 2024 presidential election quickly approaching, local election officials on Wednesday called on Congress for increased cybersecurity funding to update outdated IT infrastructure and help protect democracy.
The election officials appeared before the Senate Rules Committee on Nov. 1 to discuss ongoing threats to election administration, with cybersecurity emerging as an ever-increasing threat to secure elections.
“As time passes, so does the need for continued advancement in cybersecurity,” said Alan Farley, the administrator of elections for Rutherford County, Tenn. “I strongly believe the Federal government can best serve local election officials with funding and beefing up cybersecurity.”
“If you truly want to secure elections in our nation, invest Federal dollars in building a stronger information technology structure at the local level,” he added. “Many counties in the state of Tennessee do not have adequate funding for county IT departments.”
Farley explained that local election offices in Tennessee have access to some Federal aid through the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) Election Security funding. HAVA funding can be used to purchase updated voting equipment and make certain cybersecurity improvements; however, Farley said more can be done.
“Congress should continue to place its focus on advancing and improving upon cybersecurity measures,” Farley said. “That would be of better service and have greater impact on protecting our democracy.”
Local election officials can also receive support from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which offers no-cost cybersecurity and physical security assistance, as well as timely, actionable threat information.
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes urged members of Congress to make CISA’s election services a priority, saying, “I implore you to ensure the vital election security services provided by CISA’s physical security and cybersecurity agents survive any potential issues when it comes to negotiating the Federal budget.”
Elizabeth Howard, the deputy director for the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program, said that there has been a “remarkable improvement in the resiliency of our election infrastructure” over the last six years – thanks to Federal funding.
Howard, who previously served as the deputy commissioner for the Virginia Department of Elections, explained that election officials now view cybersecurity as a key component of election security. She said officials have taken steps to bolster their cyber defenses against cyberattacks, such as “deploying new and more secure voting equipment, and developing and practicing plans to respond to cyber threats.”
“This significant shift would not have happened without the dedicated funding that Congress provided for election security, and the important assistance provided by multiple Federal agencies – including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission – who have worked closely with our election officials,” Howard said.
The Federal government plays a large role in helping states and localities better prepare for and respond to cyber threats, according to Nebraska Deputy Secretary of State for Elections Wayne Bena.
Election officials look to CISA and other Federal agencies in charge of their cybersecurity efforts “to say what’s next,” Bena said, adding, “We don’t want to rest on our laurels. We want to find out what’s the next thing that we need to do so that we can stay ahead of the threats that are facing us.”
“Cybersecurity is something that we have no role in,” added Farley. “So, I think that it’s very important that the Federal government take an active role, especially funding, because we’re doing great today, but tomorrow is a different day … you’ve got to be 1, 2, 3 steps ahead.”
