The national exercise assisted elections stakeholders in identifying best practices and opening lines of communications to facilitate partnerships for cyber incident planning and preparedness.
"The Department of Homeland Security has been a key partner in the administration of Kentucky elections for years now, and we are proud to be involved in today's exercise," Grimes said. "The environment elections officials operate in is unprecedented with risks from bad actors seeking to influence our elections and sow discord and chaos in our democracy. We must be prepared, vigilant, and actively inspire confidence in our process. That is what today's exercise was all about."
DHS and Grimes have worked closely during and since the 2016 presidential election, shortly before the agency designated America's elections as critical infrastructure. DHS provides cybersecurity tools and protections of Kentucky's infrastructure.
In April, Grimes announced an expansion of the partnership to train county election officials across Kentucky on cybersecurity and threats to elections. The trainings are some one of the first of their kind in the nation.
"I appreciate the many county clerks who understand the risks and vulnerabilities we face, and we will continue to work hand-in-hand to ensure that our process is accurate and secure," Grimes said.
