Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales and the Indiana Secretary of State’s Office hosted Regional Election Security and Cybersecurity Tabletop Exercises (TTX) across the state to discuss election security, preparedness, coordination, and response capabilities ahead of General Election Day on Nov. 3.
Morales’ office hosted regional exercises across Indiana to bring together county election administrators and key partners involved in election operations and emergency response.
“Indiana continues to lead the way when it comes to secure and well-prepared elections,” Morales said in a statement about the event. “By planning ahead and working together, we can make sure Hoosiers continue to have confidence in our election process. Preparation is one of the most important tools we have when it comes to protecting Indiana’s elections. These exercises bring the right people to the table before an emergency happens. Our goal is simple: prepare, communicate, coordinate, and respond. We want every election administrator and local partner to have the tools, resources, and relationships they need not only on Election Day, but in the days leading up to and following an election.”
The exercises were intended to address a variety of potential situations that could impact election operations, including cybersecurity incidents, physical security threats and other emergencies.
Participants joined exercises to work through real-world scenarios, identify potential gaps, strengthen communication and develop coordinated response plans in case of an emergency.
According to a statement from Morales’ office, recent cybersecurity incidents involving local governments have highlighted the necessity of preparation and coordination among state and local partners. Secretary of State staff will be on duty on Election Day monitoring critical systems, assisting voters and election administrators and providing incident response coordination.
Participants included county clerks and election officials, state and federal cybersecurity experts, local IT directors and cybersecurity staff, Emergency Management Agency (EMA) directors, sheriffs and law enforcement leadership and other county and municipal officials. A virtual TTX was also conducted.
For more information visit in.gov/sos/.
Contact Staff Writer Malik Simon at 317-762-7847.
Malik Simon is a Staff Writer for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Memphis, TN, he graduated from Mississippi Valley State University with a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies concentrating on journalism. Before joining the Recorder, he wrote for the Devil’s Gazette newspaper at MVSU and served as a freelance content and video editor. He seeks to use media to help communities flourish through literacy and factual reporting.
