Tallahassee, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis directed Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee to initiate a review of elections systems security and cyber security throughout the state. In light of recent information that two Florida counties experienced breaches into their elections networks in 2016, the Governor wants to ensure Florida’s election infrastructure at the state and local level is protected.
“Public faith in our elections is the bedrock of our democracy and we must do everything within our power to preserve the integrity of our elections systems,” said Governor DeSantis. “While the breaches did not compromise the outcome of the 2016 election, nonetheless, they highlight the importance of protecting the security of our elections system. Therefore, I am directing the Secretary of State to immediately initiate a review of the security and cybersecurity of Florida’s elections systems.”
“Our number one priority is working with Supervisors of Elections to enhance cyber security for our elections,” said Secretary of State Laurel Lee. “We stand together with our Supervisors of Elections against threats to our elections. The Department of State is committed to providing resources to help ensure the safety and security of Florida’s elections and the protection of voter information.”
The Florida Department of State and Supervisors of Elections have taken significant action in the last three years to improve election security. Since 2017, when elections were designated as critical infrastructure, the Florida Department of State and Supervisors of Elections have invested millions of dollars into election security.
In 2018, the Department distributed more than $14.5 million in federal election security grants to Supervisors of Elections. The Department also provided Supervisors of Elections with $1.9 million in state funding to purchase and install ALBERT network monitoring sensors which can detect cyber threats and quickly alert officials when data may be at risk. Florida has more ALBERT sensors than any other state.
For a PDF copy of the letter Governor DeSantis sent to Secretary Lee, click HERE.