Gov. Jay Inslee and Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman today highlighted work the state has done to promote statewide election security. Inslee and Wyman visited King County Elections Center in Renton, and were joined by King County Elections Director Julie Wise and Colonel Kenneth A. Borchers of the Washington National Guard.
“Washington is widely considered to have one of the more secure elections systems in the nation, in part because our mail-in balloting means the state has a paper record for every vote. Those ballots can always be recounted, if any question emerges,” Inslee said. “I am pleased that Sec. Wyman is partnering, in a first of its kind relationship, with the Washington National Guard’s cyber-security team to ensure that every vote cast counts in the 2018 elections and beyond.”
“I want to assure every single Washingtonian that our elections are secure, and we are ready for the 2018 election,” said Wyman. “If there’s one thing I want people to remember, it’s that our tabulation systems — that is, the machines that count the ballots in each county — are in no way connected to the internet. Since 2016, cybersecurity in elections has been front-and-center. I can assure you that we’re working very closely with all 39 counties to prevent any kind of intrusion and ensure our elections are secure.”
Washington state was one of 21 states targeted by Russian hackers in the 2016 elections. Evidence indicates those attempts were unsuccessful and no election results were compromised.
The state has undertaken a variety of measures to ensure election security, including the Secretary of State’s office efforts to work with the Department of Homeland Security to keep voting systems secure, as well as the Washington National Guard’s anti-hacking efforts.
Read the full story on the governor's Medium page.