Fair and free elections are a hallmark of American democracy. The American people’s confidence in the value of their vote is principally reliant on their confidence in the security and resilience of the infrastructure that makes the Nation’s elections possible. Accordingly, an electoral process that is both secure and resilient is a vital national interest and one of CISA’s highest priorities.
CISA is committed to working collaboratively with those on the front lines of elections—state and local governments, election officials, federal partners, and vendors—to manage risks to the Nation’s election infrastructure. CISA will remain transparent and agile in its vigorous efforts to secure America’s election infrastructure from new and evolving threats.
Every year, citizens across the United States head to their local polling stations in order to cast their ballots for the candidates of their choice. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) works to ensure the physical security and cybersecurity of the systems and assets that supports the Nation’s elections. Known as election infrastructure, this assembly of systems and networks includes but is not limited to:
- Voter registration databases and associated IT systems
- IT infrastructure and systems used to manage elections (such as the counting, auditing, and displaying of election results, and post-election reporting to certify and validate results)
- Voting systems and associated infrastructure
- Storage facilities for election and voting system infrastructure
- Polling places to include early voting locations
In January 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) designated the infrastructure used to administer the Nation’s elections as critical infrastructure. This designation recognizes that the United States’ election infrastructure is of such vital importance to the American way of life that its incapacitation or destruction would have a devastating effect on the country.
CISA is committed to working collaboratively with those on the front lines of elections—state and local governments, election officials, federal partners, and vendors—to manage risks to the Nation’s election infrastructure. CISA will remain transparent and agile in its vigorous efforts to secure America’s election infrastructure from new and evolving threats.
CISA’s Election Services
While ultimate responsibility for administering the Nation’s elections rests with state and local governments, CISA offers a variety of free services to help states ensure both the physical security and cybersecurity of their elections infrastructure. Additionally, election infrastructure’s critical infrastructure designation enables CISA to provide services on a prioritized basis at the request of state and local elections officials.
 Cybersecurity Assessments |
 Detection and Prevention |
 Information Sharing and Awareness |
 Training and Career Development |