Tabletop the Vote

CISA Holds Three-Day Exercise to Ensure Election Security

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has hosted a three-day election security exercise to prepare for potential cyber and physical incidents during the 2023 and 2024 elections.

The exercise, dubbed Tabletop the Vote, began on Wednesday in partnership with the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors. It allowed participants to share planning, preparedness, identification, response and recovery practices to ensure election security.

Participants, including the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis, the Department of Justice, the FBI and the National Security Agency, shared planning, preparedness, identification, response and recovery practices that help ensure election security, CISA said.

In a statement following the conclusion of the event, CISA Director Jen Easterly, a two-time Wash100 awardee, and the Election Infrastructure Government Coordinating Council Executive Committee, highlighted the need for federal government and election officials to continue working together to keep democratic processes secure as the threat environment becomes increasingly dynamic and complex.

In June, the Department of the Treasury sanctioned two Russian intelligence officers for their actions supporting Russia’s disinformation efforts aimed at influencing elections in democratic societies for the benefit of the Russian government, CyberScoop reported.