BATAVIA, OH (Feb. 5, 2020) – The Clermont County Board of Elections today announced the successful completion of security upgrades required by Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose.
“The Clermont County Board of Elections and the County Information Systems Department worked diligently to meet the secretary of state’s directive,” said Julia Carney, director, Clermont County Board of Elections. “The implemented security enhancements will serve to defend the security and integrity of Ohio’s elections.”
On June 11, 2019, LaRose issued Directive 2019-08, a comprehensive, multi-faceted security strategy for local boards that provides the redundancy required of a strong election system infrastructure. Counties had until Jan. 31 to complete the secretary’s requirements. The effort has made Ohio the national leader in election security.
The directive included a checklist of 34 separate requirements that must be met in order to be considered compliant. The specifics of the checklist essentially serve as Ohio’s detailed defense plan against adversaries who seek to disrupt our elections. The requirements fall under five separate sectors:
“The voters in Clermont County should be proud of their local board of elections for successfully embracing such a big challenge,” LaRose said. “By elevating their defensive posture, they’ve helped make Ohio a national model for election security.”
In January of 2017, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) designated Election Infrastructure as part of the nation’s critical infrastructure. By its very nature, each and every election system is vulnerable to ever changing security environments. By implementing this elevated security posture that is a model for the nation, Ohio will be in the best possible standing to deter any threats to our election system, both foreign and domestic.
