Press Releases
10/05/2022
Secretary Kohler, General Evon Announce Assistance from Connecticut Military Department for Connecticut Towns
(HARTFORD) – Secretary of the State Mark Kohler and Adjutant General of the Connecticut Military Department Major General Francis J. Evon, Jr. today announced that assistance and a review of election cybersecurity infrastructure will be available for any of Connecticut's 169 towns and cities that opt in.
“The threat of interference in our elections is real and again requires an effective response in preparation for the upcoming general election in November. I am proud that we will be working with Gen. Evon and the Connecticut Military Department Cybersecurity Team, so Connecticut residents are able to vote freely, safely and with confidence,” Secretary Kohler said.
“The oath we take is to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that extends to the cyber domain,” said Maj. Gen. Evon. “We want our municipalities to know this agreement makes us an additional resource for them to use when it comes to reviewing their cybersecurity infrastructure and procedures.”
Connecticut received federal funding for the 2020 election that went to assisting the Military Department’s cybersecurity team’s efforts for all 169 towns and will once again in 2022.
A grant from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the amount of $50,000 and another $150,000 in funding from the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) will help cover the cost of aiding a team of trained personnel able to look at the election cybersecurity systems and offer an assessment of municipal cyber infrastructure.
The federal government indicated in 2020 that it had evidence of persistent and evolving efforts to compromise the 2020 elections through cyberattacks from hostile foreign actors.
Connecticut then made cybersecurity a focus for the 2020 election by convening the Connecticut Election Cybersecurity Task Force to determine how the state’s share of HAVA cybersecurity funds could be best put to use.
Connecticut's elections are administered locally in each town by the elected Registrars of Voters (one from each major party) and by the Town Clerks. For more information on voting in the November election please visit myvote.ct.gov.
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