Orange County continues to focus resources on the protection of its election systems
SANTA ANA, CA – The Registrar of Voters today announced the release of its detailed 2018 Election Security Playbook, providing a roadmap for defending the systems and networks vital to conducting elections in Orange County.
Quote by Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley
“Election security has always been a priority for our office.” He continued, “However, a paradigm shift occurred in 2016 – and we have worked to further enhance overall ballot integrity. We believe a proactive “ring of security” is critical to safeguard the millions of ballots that are cast in Orange County during each election cycle.”
About the Playbook
The purpose of the 2018 Election Security Playbook is to provide a guide to anticipate, mitigate and respond to physical and cybersecurity threats. As election threats continue to increase and evolve, having a playbook is one of many pieces that will help to improve our security profile. Although threats are constantly changing, and incidents are unique, the playbook provides a guide and a set of best practices for the agency to be better prepared for threats and incidents during the 2018 election cycle.
Key Outcomes and Mitigation
It is important to note that in addition to these public benefits, key mitigation strategies of this plan include:
• Physical security surveys were executed.
• Physical security improvements were put into action.
• Administrative, technical and physical controls have been enhanced.
• An internal playbook and Incident Response Plan has been developed.
• Plans are in place to conduct risk limiting ballot-polling audits based on a random sample of ballots.
• Proactive voter list maintenance above and beyond statutory requirements continues.
• Partnerships were established with federal agencies, local agencies, and information sharing centers and will be consistently leveraged to ensure this plan remains dynamic and responsive to these evolving threats.
Partnership with Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Registrar of Voters, Neal Kelley, serves on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Government Coordinating Council (GCC) for the Election Infrastructure Subsector. The 27-member council includes three representatives from the federal government, with the remaining 24 representing state and local governments. The GCC framework provides a well-tested mechanism for sharing threat information between the federal government and council partners, advancing risk management efforts, and prioritizing focus of services available to sector partners in a trusted environment.
The Registrar of Voters is also a member of the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC). The Center assists the Registrar of Voters by collecting, analyzing, and disseminating threat data and provides the tools, resources, and guidance to address or remediate those threats. In addition, the ISAC provides early warnings of cyber system threats and remote security monitoring.
A copy of the 2018 Election Security Playbook can be viewed here.