U.S. Rep. John Katko invited officials from the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to share information with local election officials. The meeting at Onondaga County Community College is closed to the public.
Among those who have agreed to attend are Democratic and Republican election commissioners from Onondaga, Oswego and Cayuga counties and representatives from the state Board of Elections, according to Katko’s office.
The next election in New York will be the April 28 presidential primary election. For most counties, it will be the second election in which election workers use electronic poll books at voting sites to sign in registered voters.
Congress established CISA in 2018 to help defend the nation’s infrastructure, such as the electric grid, from physical and cyberattacks.
The agency has also focused on protecting state and local election infrastructure after U.S. intelligence officials found Russian operatives launched cyberattacks on U.S. voting infrastructure.
A Senate Intelligence Committee report last year found Russia targeted election systems for hacking in all 50 states during the 2016 election.
Katko agreed with the conclusion of intelligence agencies that Russia conducted an aggressive hacking and disinformation campaign during the 2016 presidential election.
Katko, R-Camillus, is the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee’s subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Innovation.
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