Ahead of the 2023 and 2024 election cycle, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) earlier this month hosted the nation’s largest annual election security exercise in coordination with the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors.
Tabletop the Vote took place between Aug. 15 and 17, and included a range of hypothetical scenarios affecting election operations.
The annual exercise gives participants the opportunity to share practices around cyber and physical incident planning, preparedness, identification, response, and recovery, CISA said.
“The federal government and election officials remain unified in ensuring the security and resilience of our nation’s democratic processes, especially as we look toward the 2023 and 2024 elections,” CISA Director Jen Easterly wrote in a joint statement with the Election Infrastructure Government Coordinating Council Executive Committee.
“Today’s threat environment is increasingly dynamic and complex, and we continue working closely together,” the statement reads. “This includes the sharing of information and intelligence through multiple channels, promoting rigorous safeguarding of equipment and systems, ongoing assessments to identify risks and vulnerabilities, and participating in exercises like Tabletop the Vote.”
In addition to CISA, Federal participants included the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, Department of Homeland Security Office of Intelligence and Analysis, the Department of Justice, the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the National Security Agency, U.S. Cyber Command, the National Guard Bureau, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
State and local election officials also participated virtually in the sixth annual election security exercise hosted by DHS.
“Elections are run by thousands of dedicated state and local election officials across the country,” the joint statement reads. “It is because of the incredible work of so many that the American people can have confidence in the security of our nation’s elections.”
