Secretary Of State Takes Election Security Seriously

Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson has launched a public awareness campaign about election integrity.

Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson. File photo.

(Indianapolis, Ind.) - The Indiana Secretary of State's Office is taking steps to help build understanding of cybersecurity efforts in the state ahead of the November 6, 2018 general election. 

Secretary of State Connie Lawson has launched a public awareness campaign to help demonstrate to voters that proper precautions are in place to secure their vote. It began Monday with television, radio, and print advertisements running statewide.

“This outreach campaign is really about instilling confidence in the voter that their vote is secure and that when their vote is cast it will be counted. We don’t want to discourage anyone from coming out to vote,” said Lawson.

RELATED: Dearborn County Task Force To Consider Voting Centers For Elections

Lawson explained no piece of Indiana's voting equipment is connected to the internet. 

Also, the Secretary of State's office has a Voting System Technical Oversight Program. The program hosted by Ball State University tests all of election equipment used for an added layer of safety and security. 

“They test and certify every machine, every tabulation machine, every electronic polling place that is used in the State of Indiana.”

There is also the Election Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center that partners with the Department of Homeland Security and allows 24-7 access to security information, threat notifications and security advisories. 

“We’ve worked alongside the Department of Homeland Security making sure that our networks are secure,” Lawson said.

The center provides up-to-date information on threats “so that we can stay ahead of the bad actors,” according to Lawson.