How secure are elections, voting from cyberattacks? Here is what you need to know

Early voting is underway and up to 150 million ballots are expected to be cast nationwide by the Nov. 5 Election Day, including more than 140,000 in Lubbock County. With that volume of votes, and ongoing concerns about election integrity, local and national officials are sharing tips and reassurances about safety at the ballot box.

Lubbock is all-too-familiar with the threat of cyberattacks. Last month, cybersecurity attacks heavily impacted Lubbock's UMC Health System and the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, hamstringing the region's healthcare system.

Dig Deeper: Lubbock County turnout soars as early voting continues through Friday

With the threat increasing and recent local events, here is what you need to know about how the U.S. and local officials are working together to protect the integrity of this year's election.

Who oversees election security and integrity in the U.S.?

Founded in 2018, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency serves at the nation's cyber defense agency while also protecting the nation's critical infrastructure.

"In 2017, after the aftermath of Russian attempts to interfere in and influence the 2016 Presidential Election, election infrastructure was designated as critical infrastructure," said Director Jen Easterly. "CISA was designated as the lead federal government agency for election infrastructure security, charged to provide support to those state and local election officials who run elections."

Are voting booths protected from cyberattacks?

"The reality is election infrastructure has never been more secure," Easterly said. "No matter who you vote for, you can have confidence that your vote will be counted as cast."

She credited that security to three factors.

Easterly said voting machines are not connected to the Internet - a feature that Lubbock County elections officials have confirmed.

Secondly, Easterly said that 97% of registered voters will cast their ballots in jurisdictions where they would get a paper record that they could verify. Lubbock County is one of them.

Finally, Easterly said officials have safeguards in place to ensure every vote is counted accurately, such as post-election audits, which is something Lubbock County does.

Easterly said the ultimate safeguard to U.S. Election Security is how each state runs its elections with different machines and processes.

"This diverse and decentralized nature of our election infrastructure is actually a great source of resilience and strength, because it means that it's not possible for a malicious actor to hack into our voting machines in a way that would have a material impact on the outcome on the presidential election - certainly not without being detected," Easterly said.

What are some threats to election security?

"Even as I say, election infrastructure has never been more secure, we do have to recognize that the threat environment has never been more complex," Easterly said.

Some of the threats include ransomware attacks — like the one seen at UMC — aimed at denial of service on websites.

"There are very real threats from our foreign adversaries like Russia, Iran and China, who are conducting malign influence operations and disinformation with two key goals in mind: first to undermine American confidence in the integrity of our elections and, more broadly, trust in our democratic institutions, and to stoke partisan discord, to pit Americans against each other," Easterly said. "We cannot allow that."

However, some threats appear in a more physical manifestation such as physical threats to election officials, harassment, bullying, swatting, threats of violence to election officials from both parties and their families.

"It's important for everyone to keep in mind that election officials are not some faceless bureaucrats. They're our family, they're our friends, they're our neighbors," Easterly said. "We see them in the community every day, and they're not doing this work for pay or glory. They're doing it because they believe in our democracy and that it is the right thing to do to stand on the front lines of our democracy, delivering what is most precious a fair, free, safe, secure election."

To learn more about CISA and how it is helping protect this year's elections, visit: www.cisa.gov/protect2024.

How do voting ballots in Lubbock County work?

When you first arrive, a poll worker will check you in on a new "Poll Pad." After being checked in, you will be given an access code, a privacy folder and a blank ballot paper and be directed to a voting machine.

From there, you will enter your access code on a touch screen and insert your ballot paper into the machine. You will then vote as usual and, once done, be able to print your ballot onto your ballot paper.

Dig Deeper: What you need to know to vote in Lubbock County

After taking your printed ballot paper, you can double-check your ballot and ensure it is accurate. If there is a mistake, flag down one of the poll workers for help.

If you find your ballot is accurate, then you will take it over to the interaction machine and to insert the paper ballot. The machine will read the ballot and drop it into the ballot box below, where it is locked and has multiple seals to prevent tampering.

What can I bring to the polls on Election Day?

You are required to have some sort of ID at the polling booths, including a Texas driver's license.

If you don't have a driver's license, then you can bring your U.S. military I.D. card, U.S. Certificate of Citizenship or Naturalization, U.S. passport, Texas concealed handgun license card issued by DPS or a Texas Election ID Certificate issued by DPS.

If you don't have any of those forms of ID, you can fill out a Reasonable Impediment Declaration form and bring a copy of:

• A government document that shows the voter’s name and address, including the voter’s voter registration certificate.

• Current utility bill.

• Bank statement.

• Paycheck.

• A certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate or (b) a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law which establishes the voter’s identity (which may include a foreign birth document.

You can also bring out your sample ballot to the polling location as long as it is printed, as Texas prohibits the use of electronic devices while voting. To find and print your sample ballot, visit: www.votelubbock.org/voting-information/voter-information-lookup/.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: CISA director says 2024 elections are secured from cyberattacks