Securing the 2024 Election: CISA Director Jen Easterly Visits NCITE

Highlights

• CISA Director Jen Easterly: "Despite the fact that the threat environment has never been more complex, our election structure has never been more secure."
• Easterly gave three key reasons why Americans should be confident in the integrity and security of the election process.
• Election officials from five midwestern states attended the fireside chat between Easterly and NCITE Director Gina Ligon Oct. 8. The group gathered for a summit on selection security the following day.

Election officials from Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and South Dakota gathered on the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) campus Oct. 8-9 to hear the answer to an important question: “Can we count on the security of the upcoming general election on Nov. 5?”

In a fireside chat moderated by Gina Ligon, Ph.D., director of the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education (NCITE) Center at UNO, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Jen Easterly provided a resounding answer – yes.

"Despite the fact that the threat environment has never been more complex, our election structure has never been more secure," Easterly said, emphasizing the collaborative work being done between CISA and state election officials to ensure that cyber threats and foreign interference are mitigated.

The event, which included notable attendees such as University of Nebraska (NU) System President Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., and Bret Blackman, NU System vice president for information technology and chief information officer, was held in conjunction with a broader election security summit featuring election officials from five Midwestern states. On Thursday, Oct. 9, these officials gathered to collaborate on strengthening the region’s election infrastructure.

Why America’s Election Systems Are Secure

Easterly outlined several key reasons why Americans should trust the integrity of the election process:

1. No Internet Connection for Voting Systems: The systems used to cast ballots are not connected to the internet, making remote hacking attempts highly unlikely.
2. Paper Records for Ballot Verification: Over 97% of voters will use systems that generate a paper record. This allows for ballots to be recounted, verified, and audited to ensure accuracy.
3. Diverse State Protocols: Each state has a unique election process, which makes large-scale tampering exceedingly difficult. Additionally, election officials have put safeguards in place to protect election infrastructure from both cyber and physical threats.

"In my view, it is virtually impossible for a threat actor to be able to impact elections at scale without detection," Easterly said.

Staying Vigilant Against Foreign Adversaries

Easterly also warned about the "very real threats from our foreign adversaries" – Russia, Iran, and China – that she said are actively working to undermine American confidence in the election process.

"They are very specifically looking to do two things: undermine American confidence in the security of our elections and in our democratic institutions," Easterly said.

She encouraged Americans to be patient, trust the process, and stay unified in the face of efforts to drive division, particularly during the window of uncertainty around election results.

"It’s important to recognize that the results that come in on election night are unofficial," Easterly explained. "The election could be really close, and so there is an open space where, remember, our foreign adversaries are really intent on weakening us as a nation and are doing everything they can to drive a wedge into that uncertainty."

Midwest Election Security Summit

Concerns like this drove more discussion the following day.

On Oct. 9, Easterly and the secretaries of state rejoined NCITE at its headquarters on UNO’s Scott Campus to discuss the security of the 2024 election and how states are working to protect voters and their votes.

Led by Ligon, the group included Easterly, Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, and South Dakota Secretary of State Monae Johnson.

“We’re here in the middle of the country, and so we wanted to convene secretaries of state, Director Easterly here, because we see our role as part of a team sport – collective defense,” Ligon said. She highlighted NCITE’s election-related research, which includes tracking federal cases of threats against public officials and exploring how malicious actors could exploit emerging technologies, such as AI, to sow discord.

Looking Forward with Optimism

Despite the challenges posed by foreign interference and a complex threat environment, Easterly remains hopeful. As the fireside chat concluded, she offered a message of encouragement.

"As much as the threats we deal with feel daunting,” Easterly said, “it's a leader's job to be relentlessly optimistic."