Secretary of State’s innovative cybersecurity poster draws national acclaim

DES MOINES — Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate’s office, in coordination with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, developed new Election Cybersecurity Snapshot Posters for all 99 counties to assist them in preparing for the 2018 general election. The posters have drawn national attention and acclaim from federal officials and secretaries of state across the nation.

Iowa is the first state to implement the poster project. Each county-specific poster details crucial information for election officials and valuable information for Iowa voters. DHS plans to develop and distribute similar posters to all 50 states.

“The poster is the perfect tool to address the competing needs to keep the details of cybersecurity measures confidential and the need to communicate and bolster public confidence,” said State Elections Director Dawn Williams. “It provides a thorough overview of cybersecurity environment in Iowa which then assists election administrators to provide information in an organized and accurate manner, which bolsters public confidence in our elections.”

The Election Cybersecurity Snapshot Posters provide each county with an illustrative document describing the county’s election cybersecurity activities and action plan for the November general election. They include a checklist of important initiatives recommended to the counties by Secretary Pate and DHS.

“The Department of Homeland Security values our partnership with the Iowa Secretary of State’s office and Election Director Dawn Williams as we work together to improve the security of the election process,” said DHS Senior Cybersecurity Advisor Matt Masterson. “A key part of this work is ensuring everyone understands the process and the steps election officials are taking to make Iowa elections resilient and secure. Iowa is a leader in election security and DHS will continue to provide support to Secretary Pate and county officials to ensure a smooth and accurate election.”

The posters were unveiled by DHS during national election conferences in Philadelphia in July. The respected blog ElectionLine noted that “many ideas and best practices were shared but there was one idea that had people getting out of their seats to take a closer look at and even snap a few photos of.”The writer was referring to Iowa’s Election Cybersecurity Snapshot Posters.

“Accurate and consistent information is critical in any discussion involving elections,” said Secretary Pate. “The need for election administrators to understand and communicate this highly technical information to the public is continual.”

The Election Cybersecurity Snapshot Posters were created at no cost to the State of Iowa or county auditors.