Gov. DeSantis directs Secretary of State to evaluate cyber security of elections in Florida

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Gov. Ron DeSantis directed Secretary of State, Laurel M. Lee, on Wednesday to initiate a review of elections systems security and cyber security throughout the state.

This comes down after recent information recently leaked that two Florida counties experienced breaches into their elections networks in 2016. Now, DeSantis is taking measures to ensure the state’s election infrastructure at the state and local level is protected.

“Public faith in our elections is the bedrock of our democracy and we must do everything within our power to preserve the integrity of our elections systems,” DeSantis said.

The governor also went on to say that even though the breaches did not compromise the outcome of the 2016 election, he understands the importance of protecting the security of Florida’s election system.

“Our number one priority is working with Supervisors of Elections to enhance cyber security for our elections,” Secretary of State, Laurel Lee said.

“We stand together with our Supervisors of Elections against threats to our elections. The Department of State is committed to providing resources to help ensure the safety and security of Florida’s elections and the protection of voter information.”

The Florida Department of State and Supervisors of Elections have taken significant action in the last three years to improve election security. Since 2017, the Florida Department of State and Supervisors of Elections have invested millions of dollars into election security.

In 2018, the Department distributed more than 14.5 million in security grants for federal elections to Supervisors of Elections. The Department also provided them with 1.9 million dollars in state funding to purchase and install ALBERT network monitoring sensors.

These sensors can detect cyber threats and quickly alert officials when data may be at risk. Florida has more ALBERT sensors than any other state.