CISA director Jen Easterly reasserts the security of American elections in regional address

Idahoans have already cast more than 200,000 votes in advance of the Nov. 5 election. In a Friday address, Jen Easterly, director of the United States Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), sought to reassure that Americans — whether they vote early or on Election Day — will have their ballots counted.

After being deemed “critical infrastructure” in 2016 following Russian interference campaigns, the nation’s election systems have faced heightened concerns regarding their security and integrity. CISA, the nation’s youngest federal agency, was formed in 2018 to address the new landscape around elections. As the agency approaches its second general election since being founded, Easterly asserted that American elections are more secure than they have ever been.

“Even as election infrastructure has never been more secure, the threat environment has never been so complex,” Easterly said.

Offline voting machines, different election equipment and varying election processes for states make for “decentralized and diverse” election infrastructure that is particularly resilient to direct interference, Easterly said. In a September address, Easterly stated that concerns about whether foreign adversaries could directly interfere with election machines lacked standing.

Though these systems create a high degree of resiliency, particularly from attempts at direct interference, elections are not entirely immune to isolated incidents.

Incidents as simple as a poll worker forgetting their key to the polling location to as complex as a ransomware attack on an election office have the potential to lead to disruptions on the election. Regardless of what incident may happen, however, there is not cause for concern about these incidents playing a factor in votes being counted, Easterly said.

“The good news is that these incidents, while disruptive, will not impact the security and integrity of Americans voting or those votes being counted as cast,” Easterly said. “The other good news is that American election officials are prepared.”

An expansion of CISA’s election experts — comprised of former election officials, election administrators and election technology experts — has been made in advance of November’s election. A regional election security advisor has also been coordinating with local election officials to ensure that elections are being run in a safe and secure way, Easterly said.

During a joint address Easterly delivered alongside Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane in September, the CISA director described Idaho as a “model for election security.”

Though the potential impact of outside actors has been significantly mitigated, concerns persist about the quality of information that Americans are receiving around the nation’s elections.

“Americans have been subjected to a firehose of disinformation and inaccurate information about election security,” Easterly said.

Russia, China and Iran continue to conduct influence and disinformation operations to undermine confidence in American elections. The best way to combat the influence of these campaigns is to seek out high-quality information on elections, Easterly said.

“The American people need to know where to go to get their accurate information, and that is state and local election officials,” Easterly said. “They are the experts who understand why Americans should be confident in their votes and that every vote will be counted as cast.”

Idahoans looking for more information on the state’s election process can consult their county’s election office and respective website.

Ada County’s Office can be reached at 208-287-6860. The county’s site features an FAQ section for those seeking additional information on voting and the role that poll workers and poll watchers play in maintaining a smooth election process.

The Canyon County Elections Office site features similar information in an election directory. The office can be reached for information on the election and voting eligibility at 208-454-7562.