FUTURE.
>> CHAIR ROTHMAN, THANKS 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 WISCONSIN 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