Stapleton’s Office Leads MT’s DHS Election Security Training Exercise

HELENA, Mont. (NMB) – The 2020 elections are approaching, and cyber security remains a priority for Secretary of State Corey Stapleton.

A press release says that on Wednesday, June 19th, the Secretary of State’s Office led Montana’s participation in the Department of Homeland Security 2nd Annual DHS National Election Cyber Tabletop Exercise. The purpose of the exercise was to identify best practices and areas for improvement in cyber incident planning, identification, response and recovery through simulation of realistic scenarios which could cause impacts to voter confidence, voting operations, and the integrity of elections. Montana participation included the Montana State Information Technology Division, Montana Army National Guard, Montana Department of Justice, and regional Department of Homeland Security.

Stapleton said, “Montana will incorporate the knowledge and data gained from this exercise to enhance communication and incident response plans with county election officials and our state partners in Montana.”