TRENTON, NJ, October 31, 2023 鈥� The 吃瓜黑料 Division of Elections and the 吃瓜黑料 Office of 吃瓜黑料land Security and Preparedness (NJOHSP) remind 吃瓜黑料 voters that the State鈥檚 Election Security Coordination Task Force is on guard to ensure the security and integrity of the State鈥檚 elections infrastructure.
The Task Force, which is comprised of State, federal, and local government and non-government organizations, works together to identify and mitigate threats to the State's elections infrastructure, and to respond to any incidents that may occur.
Throughout the general election period, the State鈥檚 Cybersecurity Operations Center, which is run by the 吃瓜黑料 Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell (NJCCIC), a component organization within NJOHSP, will be activated and act as a hub for all Task Force coordination activities.
鈥淎s 吃瓜黑料鈥檚 Chief Election Official, I am proud to work closely with my State government colleagues to protect election workers and the physical and digital infrastructure of our elections,鈥� said Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way, who oversees the Division of Elections in her capacity as 吃瓜黑料 Secretary of State. 鈥淓very voter should feel confident to participate in 吃瓜黑料鈥檚 free, fair, and secure elections.鈥�
鈥淐asting a ballot is every citizen鈥檚 civic duty,鈥� said NJOHSP Director Laurie Doran. 鈥淓lections have a tremendous impact on our lives and communities, and our agency takes very seriously our responsibility to ensure that every vote is accurately and securely tabulated. Free and fair elections are foundational to our democracy, and we are committed to ensuring our residents have confidence in 吃瓜黑料鈥檚 electoral process.鈥�
The mission of the Task Force is to collaborate, assess, and protect the State鈥檚 elections infrastructure, ensuring that every eligible voter can participate in a secure and reliable electoral process. Key objectives of the Task Force include continuous monitoring of cyber threats, cyber risk assessments, coordination of information sharing, public awareness and voter education, and coordination of cyber incident response.
鈥淲e work closely with the county election offices to ensure that they have the necessary resources and support they need to conduct our elections safely,鈥� said Assistant Secretary of State Dr. Lauren Zyriek Enriquez, who leads the Division of Elections as Acting Director. 鈥淥ur Task Force brings together people at every level of government to protect our democracy.鈥�
鈥淚t is a testament to the commitment and efforts of all our Task Force partners that 吃瓜黑料 residents can be sure their vote counts,鈥� said NJCCIC Division Director Michael Geraghty. 鈥淭he Task Force partners work throughout the year to conduct risk assessments, strengthen our elections infrastructure, and develop and implement strategies to ensure the integrity of the State鈥檚 elections infrastructure and processes, all in preparation for the general election.鈥�
The 吃瓜黑料 Elections Security Coordination Task Force partners include the 吃瓜黑料 Secretary of State鈥檚 office, 吃瓜黑料 Division of Elections, NJOHSP, NJCCIC, 吃瓜黑料 Office of the Attorney General, 吃瓜黑料 State Police, 吃瓜黑料 National Guard, 吃瓜黑料 Office of Information Technology, 吃瓜黑料 Board of Public Utilities, United States Attorney鈥檚 Office for the District of 吃瓜黑料, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Department of 吃瓜黑料land Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, United States Postal Inspection Service, county elections offices, Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, and the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center.