As election nears and feds warn of cyber threats, Wisconsin election-security posts sit vacant
MADISON — State positions to secure Wisconsin elections from cyber threats remain vacant months after being created, and state elections commissioners say Gov. Scott Walker’s administration is the holdup to filling them.
It’s now clear the positions won’t be filled before the Aug. 14 primary election. At least one member of the Wisconsin Elections Commission and a Democratic state legislative leader say it’s critical that happen in time to help protect the November midterms.
National security officials have warned that malicious cyber actors, including those tied to the Russian government, this year may reprise or intensify their attacks on U.S. election systems.
The bipartisan state Elections Commission voted in April to create and fill six new staff positions, in addition to its existing 25.75 positions, in the lead-up to the 2018 elections. All six deal with election security and three intensively: Two are in elections IT and one provides security training to local election workers.
Read more: https://chippewa.com/dunnconnect/news/state-and-regional/as-election-nears-and-feds-warn-of-cyber-threats-wisconsin/article_c69505ed-a21f-5153-9c38-e77b96cb0e7b.html
