Category Archives: thomas hicks

Majority of election security grants going toward cybersecurity, equipment upgrades

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About a third of federal funding meant to improve election technology will be spent on cybersecurity-related improvements, while another third will be used to upgrade old equipment, according to plans released Tuesday by states and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. In March, Congress appropriated $380 million for states to use for upgrades to election infrastructure, under the Help America Vote Act. It’s the first time the federal distributes HAVA funding since 2010. “The 380 [million] is something new in terms of additional funding, but it’s in that same realm of ensuring that our voting process remain secure and that vote of confidence remains high,” Tom Hicks, chairman of the EAC, told CyberScoop. While states have a lot of leeway in how to spend the money, Congress and the EAC emphasized the need for boosting election security, given heightened concern over foreign meddling. “I would say it’s a magnitudes more on […]

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Election exercise pairs states with intelligence community in unprecedented opportunity

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Forty-four states took part in an unprecedented election-security exercise last week that offered a crucial opportunity for electoral officials to interact with federal agencies with some of the most vaunted cyber capabilities in the government. This elaborate a security exercise simply didn’t happen in 2016: before the Russian government’s sweeping intervention in the U.S. election, it was hard to imagine the need for local and state officials to drill with the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command. But with 2016 fresh in their minds, those officials have warmed to the idea. “The biggest obstacle that we had in 2016 was communication, and so I think a lot of those barriers have been torn down and states are more willing to hear from the federal government,” Election Assistance Commission Commissioner Thomas Hicks told CyberScoop. “[O]ne of the most valuable parts” of the drill, Hicks added, was that it drove home for state […]

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EAC reassures lawmaker regarding security of voting systems

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The top federal authority on elections is seeking to reassure a security-focused lawmaker that it is doing everything in its power to provide state election officials with all available resources in order to secure equipment and computer systems. The heads of the Election Assistance Commission were responding to Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who wrote to the EAC in June asking how the agency is coordinating with them about security amid ongoing concerns over foreign election interference. In the response letter obtained by CyberScoop, EAC commissioners Thomas Hicks and Christy McCormick lay out the many ways the commission works with states on election security, including developing testing requirements and voting machine standards, offering guidance for spending federal grants and informing states about services available from other agencies. Earlier this year, Congress allocated $380 million to be split among the states for the sake of improving the administration of elections under the […]

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First-of-its-kind forum on election security gathers state and local officials with feds

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A top U.S. election official says that the allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election came with a silver lining: At least we’re now focusing on election security. Christy McCormick, a member of the Election Assistance Commission, told a crowd of state and local election officials from across the country on Wednesday that the events of 2016 jump-started a focus on election security that was not as prominent before. “I know that election officials have always focused on these problems to some degree. Not so laserly focused on election security but I think this has brought this to the forefront for us in the last couple of years. So if there’s a good consequence to what happened, that is one of them,” McCormick said Wednesday at a public forum the EAC hosted in Miami to allow the state and local officials to discuss their election security plans ahead of upcoming […]

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Matthew Masterson joins NPPD as senior cybersecurity adviser

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Former Election Assistance Commission Chairman Matthew Masterson is joining the Department of Homeland Security’s office that coordinates the agency’s election cybersecurity programs. Christopher Krebs, acting Under Secretary of DHS’s National Protection and Programs Directorate, announced in a press release Monday that the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications is bringing Masterson on as a senior cybersecurity adviser. “There are few who have Matt’s experience working with all levels of government and the private sector to protect our nation’s election systems,” Krebs said. “Matt is one of the most equipped to advise on this non-partisan issue and will be an asset to the organization. In a time where technology is constantly evolving, it is more important than ever that DHS maintains productive and trusted relationships with our partners.” Masterson served as an EAC commissioner from December 2014 until last month. Masterson has also served in various roles in Ohio’s Secretary of State’s office, […]

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New EAC chairman will continue to focus on election security

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Thomas Hicks has been tapped to chair the Election Assistance Commission, an agency that is considered central to protecting the U.S. election infrastructure from cyberthreats, the commission announced on Friday. Reuters reported on Thursday that Republican House Speaker, Rep. Paul Ryan, decided not to recommend former chairman Matthew Masterson for a second term as one of the EAC’s four commissioners. Commissioners are recommended by congressional leadership, nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. According to Reuters, some state officials were surprised that Masterson was not considered for a second term as commissioner, given that he has focused much of his tenure on cybersecurity. Hicks’s term as chairman began on Feb. 24, the day after the announcement. Hicks has served as an EAC commissioner since December 2014. He previously served as chairman from February 2016 to February 2017. “I was working on [Capitol] Hill when the Help America Vote Act was […]

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