Election 2024: U.S., state officials discuss election security

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Federal and state officials met Wednesday to discuss election security ahead of November voting.

Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen spoke about the challenges facing the country this election season. He was joined by his counterparts from three states: Scott Schwab of Kansas, Jay Ashcroft of Missouri, and Monae Johnson of South Dakota.

“Our states are appropriate examples of how elections can be operated securely and safely,” Evnen said. “Nebraska continues to be nationally recognized for its secure election procedures. Earlier this year, the MIT election data and science lab rated our state fifth in the nation for our election performance.

That isn’t to say there are not concerns over potential risks though.

The U.S. Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Jen Easterly, said her organization is facing a complex threat environment.

“There are cyber threats like ransomware, physical threats to election officials and polling places, and the very real threat of foreign malign adversaries: Russia, Iran, China—who are intent on undermining American confidence in our democratic institution and sowing partisan discord,” Easterly said.

CISA is working with state and local governments and election officials to oversee the changing risks to the country’s election infrastructure.

“At this time, we have not seen specific threats from terrorists to elections,” Easterly said. “That said — as I think folks know — in Oklahoma yesterday, the FBI disrupted a terrorist plot that was apparently looking to create some sort of a violent attack around large gatherings on Election Day.”

Easterly said that was an isolated case, but adds that it shows the potential for threats on elections. She said CISA is working to understand the full range of threats and help prepare local election officials for them.

She has reassured Americans that there is no chance a foreign adversary can change U.S. election results.

Evnen said CISA has held “emergency scenario exercises” at five different locations in the state.

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“County election officials devised responses to hypothetical but very plausible emergency events that could impact election operations,” he said. “CISA helped facilitate that discussion and offered improvements to further strengthen our incident response plans.”

According to Evnen, all of Nebraska’s 93 counties now have a service provider or IT department to handle security protocols and have their websites scanned weekly for vulnerabilities.

CISA said if you’re not confident in the election process, be part of it by signing up to be a poll worker.

Evnen and other Secretaries of State also address questions about the time it takes to provide ballot count updates.

Watch the full news conference

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Digital Director Gina Dvorak contributed to this report.

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