October 15, 2017
DHS AND PARTNERS CONVENE FIRST ELECTION INFRASTRUCTURE
COORDINATING COUNCIL
ATLANTA – The Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) joined the Election Assistance Commission (EAC),
the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), and state and
local election officials from around the country today to convene the
first Government Coordinating Council (GCC) for the Election
Infrastructure Subsector. Today’s meeting is part of the department’s
ongoing work with state and local officials as we build trusted
relationships to help keep the nation’s election systems secure. 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. Participation in the council is
entirely voluntary and does not change the fundamental role of state and
local jurisdictions in overseeing elections.
“Today’s council meeting
shows the seriousness with which federal, state and local officials take
the threats to election infrastructure, and the level of cooperation
taking place to address it,” said Bob Kolasky, Acting Deputy Under
Secretary of the DHS National Protections and Programs Directorate.
“State and local officials have already taken a number of steps to
improve the security of the nation’s elections, and under the Government
Coordinating Council we will be able to further leverage resources and
our collective expertise. The security of the nation’s elections are
critical to our democracy, and DHS stands ready to support this important
mission through exercises, information sharing, and technical cyber
analysis and expertise.”
The GCC structure is
established under the department’s authority to provide a forum in which
the government and private sector entities can jointly engage in a broad
spectrum of activities to support and coordinate critical infrastructure
security and resilience efforts. It is used in each of the critical
infrastructure sectors established under Presidential Policy Directive 21
on Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience.
In January, DHS designated
election infrastructure as a subsector of the existing Government
Facilities critical infrastructure sector. The designation did not create
any new regulations or directives, but instead enabled DHS to prioritize
cybersecurity assistance to state and local election officials who
request it, made clear domestically and internationally that election
infrastructure enjoys all the benefits and protections of critical
infrastructure that the U.S. government has to offer, and enabled full
and frank discussions between DHS and key stakeholders regarding
sensitive vulnerability information.
Members of the GCC for the
Election Infrastructure Subsector include:
Lori Augino, Director of
Elections, Washington
Chris H. Chambless,
Elections Director, Clay County, Florida
Judd Choate, Director of
Elections, Colorado*
Jim Condos, Secretary of
State, Vermont
Edgardo Cortes,
Commissioner, Virginia Department of Elections
Bob Giles, Director,
Division of Elections, New Jersey
Mark Goins, Coordinator of
Elections, Tennessee
Ricky Hatch, Clerk/Auditor,
Weber County, Utah
Thomas Hicks, Vice
Chairman, U.S. Election Assistance Commission
Sarah Johnson, City Clerk,
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Neal Kelley, Registrar of
Voters, Orange County, California
Bob Kolasky, Acting Deputy
Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security*
Connie Lawson, Secretary of
State, Indiana
Linda Lamone, Administer of
Elections, Maryland State Board of Elections
Matthew Masterson,
Chairman, U.S. Election Assistance Commission*
Denise Merrill, Secretary
of State, Connecticut
Paul Pate, Secretary of
State, Iowa
Noah Praetz, Director of
Elections, Cook County, Illinois*
Steve Reed, Probate Judge,
Montgomery County, Alabama
Tom Schedler, Secretary of
State, Louisiana
Jake Spano, Chief of
Staff/Deputy Secretary of State, Minnesota
David Stafford, Supervisor
of Elections, Escambia County, Florida
Maggie Toulouse Oliver,
Secretary of State, New Mexico
Todd Valentine,
Co-Executive Director, New York State Board of Elections
Linda von Nessi, Clerk of
the Essex County Board of Elections, New Jersey
Mac Warner, Secretary of
State, West Virginia
Michael Winn, Director of
Elections, Travis County, Texas
*GCC Executive Committee
Member
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