Building Trust Through Training and Education
A new study from global technology organization ISACA shows that confidence in the upcoming US election is low—but education and training will go a long way in building trust.
What are the top threats to election security?
What are three ways we can restore confidence?
How can voters educate themselves, and how can government provide better transparency?
The study answers these questions and more.
View the infographic below for a summary of results, and access the blogs and expert insights for perspectives from election security experts.
Expert Insights
Public’s perception does not match the reality
“The overwhelming majority of localities have sound election security procedures in place, but the public’s perception does not match the reality. This means that governments, from the county level on up, need to clearly and robustly communicate about what they are doing to secure their election infrastructure.”- First Federal CISO Gregory J. Touhill, CISM, CISSP, Brigadier General (ret), ISACA board director and president of the AppGate Federal Group
Real progress has been made
“Real progress has been made since 2016 when it comes to election security preparedness. Local and federal government officials, together with stakeholders in the tech industry and civil society, have spent the past four years working together to be prepared for this fall. As encouraging as that is, there is still much to do to ensure that the elections are safe and secure for all who participate. Surveys like this one serve as a good road map for some of what remains to be done, whether in preparing for the election or communicating with voters about how they can prepare themselves for the disinformation they’re likely to encounter in the coming months.”
- Ginny Badanes, Director, Microsoft’s Defending Democracy Program
Cybersecurity professionals have an opportunity to make a real impact
“Cybersecurity professionals have an opportunity to make a real impact on improving confidence in election security. From volunteering to train polling officials, to advocating for security testing of polling equipment in your district, to communicating election infrastructure security initiatives, to modeling a habit of corroborating information before sharing it, we are uniquely qualified to provide leadership in this national imperative to build trust.”- Melody Balcet, Past President, ISACA Greater Washington D.C. Chapter
Well-trained localities are very capable of securing elections against threats
“Elections in the United States are a mixed bag – intentionally. There is no one type of ballot or machine to process all votes. Each of the more than 3,000 US counties is responsible for elections, from local all the way up to federal. It is not always a smooth process, but well-trained localities are very capable of securing elections against threats. Elections are decentralized on purpose.”- Christopher Johnson, ISACA member and election volunteer in the state of Michigan
