MADISON (WKOW) — County clerks discussed cybersecurity and communication techniques ahead of Wisconsin’s primary election after a glitch created a problem for voters last month.
The Wisconsin County Clerks Association (WCCA) held its annual conference on Tuesday where they discussed election security communication skills ahead of April’s presidential primary election.
The meeting comes two weeks after Wisconsin’s My Vote website experienced a server glitch which prevented people from registering to vote and finding their polling place.
Wisconsin Election Commission (WED) had a backup in place and fixed the website within a few hours, but it’s glitches like these that have some county clerks concerned about future elections.
“Often problems don’t repeat themselves, it’s a new problem,” said Scott McDonell, Dane County Clerk.
Election officials called issues with the state’s My Vote “minor” but Wisconsin is not alone.
On Super Tuesday several states like California, Minnesota, Texas, and Arkansas reported computer glitches, similar to what happened on Feb. 18th in Wisconsin.
In 2018, WEC received nearly $7 million from the federal government to boost election security. About $820,000 was spent on securing My Vote and other computer systems in smaller communities, yet problems still occurred.
“Part of the problem now is that 10 years ago common glitches we wouldn’t think much, but now, it’s a big deal and the scrutiny level is much higher now,” said McDonell.
Election officials said there’s no one silver bullet to prevent hacks or glitches on election day but they are preparing for the future.
WEC received another $7 million grant and is still debating how to use the funds. Administrator Mehgan Wolfe said the commission is in the process of surveying clerks to get their input and hopes to have recommendations to consider by the end of the month.
McDonell said his biggest concern is Russians or other actors hacking our computer systems and wants to find ways to boost election integrity in 2020.
“I doubt this is the last time we’re going to have foreign interference in our elections so we need to look down the road to secure it,” he said.
McDonell added election integrity is front and center for county clerks after several states including Wisconsin were targeted by Russian hackers in 2016.
“You always have to stay on top of it … even innocent problems can be turned into either a partisan or conspiracy theory that can undermine voter’s confidence in the election and it’s important that we try to minimize that happening.”
