JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — St. Louis will be hosting a a National Election Security Summit to be held September 10-11, 2018, according to Missouri’s Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft.
National, state and local election authorities will join officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Election Assistance Commission, Elections Infrastructure – Information Sharing and Analysis Center, security professionals, election experts, and other industry leaders to learn and share tangible best practices.
“With heightened scrutiny of election security, we want to provide the assurance that – as always – state election authorities are leading the way, and we continue to work together to protect elections,” Ashcroft said. “America is home to thousands of county election experts. We will offer useable, actionable takeaways to continue securing elections.”
Ashcroft testified to the U.S. Senate Rules and Administration Committee on June 20 on the issue of election security and made the public announcement of the summit during his testimony.
The actionable security discussions will provide attendees useable steps to mitigate threats and vulnerabilities as election authorities gear up for the 2018 mid-term elections.
“The National Election Security Summit is providing an excellent opportunity for federal, state and local election officials to share ideas and solutions,” said Secretary Connie Lawson, Indiana Secretary of State and chair of the National Association of Secretaries of State. “I am excited to support this summit as it offers practical, real-world advice to county clerks and local officials. I appreciate Secretary Ashcroft’s leadership in bridging the gap between levels of government to ensure the security of our elections.”
Presenters will lead attendees through topics such as protecting election systems, crisis management, security and crisis best practices, election equipment security and communication.
World Wide Technology will be hosting the summit.
“WWT is proud to host this year’s National Election Security Summit at our new Global Headquarters,” said Mike McGlynn, vice president, Security Solutions, WWT. “We look forward to bringing together state partners, state and local election officials and crisis experts to educate attendees on how the state can bring awareness and preparedness to election security.”
Alisha Shurr was a reporter for The Missouri Times and The Missouri Times Magazine. She joined The Missouri Times in January 2018 after working as a copy editor for her hometown newspaper in Southern Oregon. Alisha is a graduate of Kansas State University.
