Overview

June 24

Election years are always an intriguing time, especially as technology plays a larger role in the process. Cyber attacks, and the resulting public scrutiny over the results, are one concern. The COVID-19 crisis also has brought a new dynamic to the elections process with less people wanting to vote in person. Whether it is process or technology, this Digital Communities webinar will attempt to answer the pressing questions on whether our elections are secure. Please join us on June 24^th at 11am PDT/2:00pm EDT to hear our public sector practitioners and industry experts discuss:

The election process and the safeguards post COVID-19
The latest elections cybersecurity threat vectors
What governments should be doing to effectively prevent and respond to an election cybersecurity threat
The proper use of HAVA funds, including funds from the CARES Act
Real-world examples of what is happening on the frontlines from a federal, state and local perspective

Speakers

Tina Barton

City Clerk, City of Rochester Hills, Michigan

Tina Barton serves as the Rochester Hills City Clerk and has been an election administrator for over 15 years. She holds a Master of Arts in Management and Leadership and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. Tina was conferred the designation of Master Municipal Clerk by the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC) and Certified Michigan Municipal Clerk by the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks (MAMC). In 2019, SOS Jocelyn Benson appointed her to the Election Security Commission. Also in 2019, the United States Conference of Mayors appointed Tina to the EAC Board of Advisors. Ms. Barton’s office received a 2018 Clearie Award from the EAC for Election Innovation. In 2018, Rochester Hills was the first city in Michigan to conduct a Risk Limiting Audit pilot.

Noah Praetz

Consultant (Former Director of Elections for Cook County, Illinois)

Noah Praetz formerly ran elections in Cook County Illinois. He is a partner in The Elections Group where he consults on Election Operations and Security, primarily for CISA. He is also an adjunct law professor at DePaul University College of Law. He started as a temporary worker hired to do data entry prior to the 2000 presidential election. Bush v. Gore had him hooked. He worked his way through the ranks doing nearly every job in elections - learned all the pain points and all the opportunities. He made it through the 2016 election with an understanding of what it takes to secure our elections infrastructure. In 2019 he left Cook County to focus his efforts on supporting federal election security activities.

Dr. Rahul Patel

Elections CISO, Cook County, Illinois

Rahul Patel is a seasoned Cyber Security professional with over 25 years of experience defending the Availability, Confidentiality, and Integrity of information assets in the banking industry and government. He is presently leading elections information security and risk management efforts at the office of the Cook County Clerk – Karen Yarbrough and Chicago Board of Elections Commissioners as an Elections Information Security Officer. Patel’s responsibilities include identifying and evaluating risks and driving the implementation of solutions to mitigate information security exposures through continuous research of the latest security vulnerabilities, threats, capabilities, and mitigation techniques. In the past, Patel has contributed as a member of the Executive committee at EI-ISAC and co-chaired the NIST’s EIS Cyber Security Framework Working Group. Patel holds a PhD in Management of Information Systems from Northcentral University.

Phil Bertolini — Moderator

Co-Executive Director, Center for Digital Government, former CIO for Oakland County, Michigan

Phil Bertolini is the Co-Director of the Center for Digital Government (CDG), a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government. Previously, he served as deputy county executive and CIO for Oakland County, Michigan. During his 31-year tenure, Phil built a world-class IT organization in the second-largest county in Michigan, just north of Detroit. As Oakland County CIO, he oversaw more than 150 employees serving over 1.2 million residents. In 2005, he was also promoted to deputy county executive, holding dual positions until his retirement. Phil’s efforts earned the county national attention, winning numerous awards for technology innovation and excellence. He was named one of Governing Magazine’s Public Official of the Year and Government Technology Magazine’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers. He was also honored by the President Obama White House as a Champion of Change for 2012.

Webinar

Mitigating Risk: Getting Ahead of the 2020 Elections