DES MOINES, IOWA (January 28, 2020) — Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate will meet with election officials across the country and top cybersecurity officials during the annual winter conference of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS). Election cybersecurity will be a key topic of discussion. Sec Pate is the current president of the organization.
“Protecting the sanctity of the vote is a goal shared by election officials across the country share. We’re working together to make sure our system is secure,” Sec Pate said. “Election cybersecurity is a race without a finish line and we must always be prepared to take on the constantly evolving threats.”
Secretary Pate flew to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. He has meetings scheduled with Iowa’s Senators Charles "Chuck" Grassley and Joni Ernst on Wednesday and will be attending the signing ceremony for the USMCA trade deal at the White House.
On Thursday, Sec Pate and members of his staff plan to participate in election cybersecurity tabletop exercises organized by the US Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
The NASS conference runs Thursday evening through Sunday. Sec Pate will oversee the proceedings and serve as co-chair for the Cybersecurity Committee. He will also moderate a panel discussion about #TrustedInfo2020, a NASS effort to combat election misinformation and disinformation. For more information on the #TrustedInfo2020 initiative, click here.
Additionally, Sec Pate sits on the Election Infrastructure Subsector Government Coordinating Council, which meets on Friday. The council was formed to ensure federal information and resources reach state and local election officials. The collaborative effort helps protect elections nationwide.
