Don’t Go It Alone: Convening Your Election Security Working Group

Election officials know that you can never predict what may happen on Election Day, but no matter what emergencies you may face, you can build the team you need around you to respond. Effective response comes from drawing on the skills of those who are trained and focused on security and incident response. Bringing these partners together will help ensure that the professionals in your community are ready.

Watch our discussion on convening an election security working group in your jurisdiction. We review the basic mechanics, explore best practices, and learn from election officials and their security partners about their hands-on experience building working groups to ensure the safety and security of elections in communities across the country. While grounded in real examples, the practices discussed should be applicable to any election jurisdiction.

What We Cover:

Working Groups in Smaller Jurisdictions: Hillary Francis, Town Clerk for the Town of Brattleboro, VT joins us to describe her experience convening an election security working group, highlighting the importance of building relationships and opening lines of communication with partners even in the smallest jurisdictions.

• The Nuts and Bolts: A group discussion of the who, what, when, how, and why of bringing together an election security working group.
• Best Practices: Susan Lapsley from the Election Security Exchange reviews the best-practices and overarching themes we’ve identified to maximize the value of your working group.
• The Role of IT Partners: David Tackett, CIO for the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office discusses the critical role that an IT administrator plays in planning for incident response as part of your working group.