% FUTURE.%>> CHAIR ROTHMAN, TH
ANKS VERY
% MUCH.%>> THANK YOU.
% >> WITH INTERNATIONAL TENSIONS
% HIGH OVER U.S. SUPPORT OF
% UKRAINE FOLLOWING RUL SHA'S
% INNOVATION, AND HEIGHTENED
% ACRIMONY BETWEEN THE UNITED
% STATES AND CHINA, ELECTION
% OFFICIALS ARE ON ALERT FOR
% CYBER-ATTACKS LEADING UP TO
% 2024, INCLUDING OUR OWN
% OFFICIALS.
% ADMINISTRATOR OF THE WISCONSIN
% ELECTIONS COMMISSION, MEAGAN
% WOLFE, WHO ALSO IS THE IMMEDIATE
% PAST PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL
% ASSOCIATION OF STATE ELECTION
% DIRECTORS, JOINS US NOW.
% THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
% >> THANK YOU.
% GOOD MORNING.
% >> SO WHY DO ELECTION OFFICIALS
% PRECISELY, LIKE YOURSELF, HAVE
% CONCERNS ABOUT CYBER-ATTACKS
% FROM RUSSIA OR CHINA IN THE 2024
% ELECTIONS?
% >> ELECTION OFFICIALS ALWAYS
% HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT CYBER
% THREATS REGARDLESS OF WHERE
% THEY'RE EVENTUALLY ATTRIBUTED
% TO.
% AND SO AS ELECTION OFFICIALS, WE
% ARE CONSTANTLY PREPARING FOR THE
% POSSIBILITY OF SOME TYPE OF
% CYBER THREATS.
% ELECTIONS ARE CONSIDERED
% NATIONAL CRITICAL
% INFRASTRUCTURE, AND THAT MEANS
% PROTECTING THEM FROM A CYBER AND
% A PHYSICAL THREAT PERSPECTIVE IS
% A PRIORITY, BOTH AT THE
% NATIONAL, STATE, AND LOCAL
% LEVEL.%>> IS IT ACCURATE THAT
YOU
% DIDN'T SEE ANY ATTACKS ON THE
% 2022 ELECTIONS?
% >> THAT IS -- THAT IS ACCURATE
% TO SAY.
% WHILE WE'RE ALWAYS PREPARING FOR
% THAT POSSIBILITY, WE'RE ALWAYS
% PREPARING FOR THINGS LIKE DENIAL
% OF SERVICE ATTACK, FOR EXAMPLE,
% WHERE SOMEONE MAY TRY TO
% OVERWHELM THE NETWORK OF A STATE
% OR A LOCAL GOVERNMENT SO THAT IT
% DISRUPTS THEIR FLOW OF BEING
% ABLE TO CONDUCT THEIR PROCESSES.
% WITH THAT BEING SAID, WE
% CERTAINLY DID NOT SEE ANY OF
% THOSE SPECIFIC TYPES OF ATTACKS
% IN THE 2022 ELECTION, BUT WE'RE
% ALWAYS PREPARING FOR THOSE AND
% WORKING TO MAKE SURE OUR SYSTEMS
% ARE RESILIENT AND ROBUST.
% >> WHAT ACTIVE CYBER ATTACKS DID
% WISCONSIN SEE IN 2020?
% >> IN 2020, WE CERTAINLY -- I
% DON'T KNOW THAT WE SAW ANY
% SPECIFIC CYBER THREATS TO OUR
% SYSTEMS, BUT AGAIN, IT'S A
% CONSTANT LOOKING AT OUR SYSTEMS,
% MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE
% RESILIENT.
% IT'S DOING THINGS LIKE
% CONDUCTING THE POST-ELECTION
% VOTING EQUIPMENT AUDIT.
% SO AFTER EACH ELECTION, WE
% CONDUCT A POST-ELECTION VOTING
% EQUIPMENT AUDIT, WITH I INVOLVES
% HAND-COUNTING BALLOTS IN
% RANDOMLY SELECTED JURISDICTIONS
% TO ENSURE THAT THE PAPER BALLOTS
% REFLECT THE MACHINE TOTALS ON
% THE TABULATORS.
% AND IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN,
% AFTER THE 2020 ELECTION, AND
% THEN AGAIN AFTER THE 2022
% ELECTION, WE ACTUALLY AUDITED
% 10% OF THE BALLOTS IN THE STATE
% OF WISCONSIN AND COMPARED THOSE
% PAPER TOTALS AGAINST THE MACHINE
% TOTALS, AND FOUND THAT THEY WERE
% INCREDIBLY ACCURATE.
% AND SO IT'S NOT JUST A MATTER OF
% AVOIDING THOSE ATTACKS,
% PREPARING FOR THOSE THREATS.
% WE ACTUALLY TAKE A LOOK AFTER
% EACH ELECTION TO ENSURE THAT OUR
% PROTECTIONS OF THE SYSTEM DID,
% INDEED, WORK.
% >> AND YET WHY COULD WISCONSIN
% BE VULNERABLE TO THIS?
% >> ANY CORPORATION, ANY
% GOVERNMENT ENTITY, ANY
% INDIVIDUAL IS CERTAINLY U.S.
% SUSCEPTIBLE TO CYBER THREATS.
% SO IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS
% NOT JUST ELECTION OFFICIALS BUT
% AS GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN
% GENERAL TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE
% PREPARING FOR, PRACTICING OUR
% CONTINGENCY PLANS AND OUR
% RESILIENCY EFFORTS.
% AND WE DO A LOT WITH OUR LOCAL
% OFFICIALS TO ENSURE THAT THEY
% UNDERSTAND CYBERSECURITY BEST
% PRACTICES, AND THAT THEY HAVE
% THE RESOURCES THEY NEED TO BE
% ABLE TO OPERATE THEIR LOCAL
% ELECTION SYSTEMS IN A SECURE
% MANNER.
% WE DO THIS THROUGH
% SCENARIO-BASED TRAININGS WITH
% OUR LOCAL ELECTION OFFICIALS,
% AND WE ALSO PROVIDE GRANTS TO
% LOCAL ELECTION OFFICES SO THAT
% THEY'RE ABLE TO PROCURE THE
% RESOURCES THEY NEED, LIKE A
% SECURE COMPUTER, ACCESS TO
% MANAGED SUPPORT SERVICES FOR
% THEIR COMPUTERS, AND EVEN GRANTS
% SO THAT THEY CAN ATTEND TRAINING
% WHERE WE FOCUS ON CYBERSECURITY
% INITIATIVES.
% SO WE MAY HAVE A VERY
% DECENTRALIZED ELECTION SYSTEM
% HERE IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN,
% WITH EACH OF OUR CITIES, TOWNS
% AND VILLAGES OPERATING
% ELECTIONS, BUT WE DO A LOT TO
% WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT
% WE'RE PREPARED FOR ANY POTENTIAL
% PHYSICAL OR CYBER THREATS TO
% ELECTIONS.%>> WHAT DOES WISCO
NSIN AND OTHER
% STATES NEED FOR THAT PREPARATION
% AND THAT TRAINING GOING FORWARD?
% SOMETHING MORE THAN WHAT WE HAVE
% NOW?
% >> THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
% I THINK FROM MY PERSPECTIVE,
% WHAT WE NEED IS SUSTAINABLE
% FUNDING FOR CYBERSECURITY IN
% ELECTIONS.
% AND PHYSICAL SECURITY IN
% ELECTIONS AS WELL.
% WHAT WE SEE RIGHT NOW IS WE
% RECEIVED FEDERAL GRANT FUNDING,
% WHICH ALLOWS US TO IMPLEMENT
% ONE-TIME SOLUTIONS FOR LOCAL
% ELECTION OFFICES, FOR STATE
% ELECTION OFFICES, FOR US TO BE
% ABLE TO BUILD OUT OUR
% CAPABILITIES.
% BUT THERE IS NO FINISH LINE WHEN
% IT COMES TO CYBERSECURITY IN
% ELECTIONS.
% EVERY DAY THAT GOALPOST MOVES.
% THE THREATS THAT WE FACE, THOSE
% MOVE AND THEY CHANGE.
% AND SO WE REALLY NEED TO FIND A
% WAY AS STATES AND LOCAL
% GOVERNMENTS TO BE ABLE TO
% SUSTAIN THOSE INITIATIVES.
% BECAUSE THE THREAT OF A
% CYBERSECURITY ATTACK, IT'S NOT
% GOING TO GO AWAY AND THERE IS NO
% FINISH LINE.
% SO I THINK FINDING WAYS TO
% CREATE SUSTAINABLE FUNDING AND
% PROGRAMMING TO SUPPORT SECURITY
% IN ELECTIONS IS REALLY, REALLY
% AN IMPORTANT INITIATIVE AND
% SHOULD BE A PRIORITY AT BOTH THE
% STATE AND THE LOCAL LEVEL.
% >> RIGHT.
% MEAGAN WOLFE, THANK YOU VERY