WEC Convenes Wisconsin Elections Security Council
The Council will discuss organizational issues such as its objectives and the process for filling public seats.
MADISON, WI – The Wisconsin Elections Commission is convening a new advisory and working group – the Wisconsin Election Security Council – which will hold its first public meeting Wednesday, October 16.
“As the 2020 election year approaches, we are assembling our federal, state and local partners,” said Meagan Wolfe, Wisconsin’s chief elections official. “The Council will formalize collaboration between these key groups and the public to improve communication and maximize election security.”
Wolfe, administrator of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, said she and her staff have already been working closely with all the partners for several years. At a Department of Homeland Security training exercise in June, they expressed a desire to meet regularly, which inspired creation of the Council.
Members will include representatives of these agencies and organizations:
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- Governmental Information Processing Association of Wisconsin (GIPAW)
- League of Wisconsin Municipalities (LWM)
- Office of Governor Tony Evers (Governor’s Office)
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security District V (DHS)
- Wisconsin Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections (Assembly)
- Wisconsin Counties Association (WCA)
- Wisconsin County Clerks Association (WCCA)
- Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ)
- Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs (DMA)
- Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT)
- Wisconsin Division of Enterprise Technology (DET)
- Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC)
- Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM)
- Wisconsin Municipal Clerks Association (WMCA)
- Wisconsin Senate Committee on Elections, Ethics, and Rural Issues (Senate)
- Wisconsin Statewide Intelligence Center (WSIC)
- Wisconsin Towns Association (WTA)
Wolfe also noted that members of the public will be invited to apply for seats on the Council, and that meetings will be open to the public.
Meeting Details
WHEN: Wednesday, October 16, 2019, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
WHERE: Madison Municipal Building, Room 153, 215 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd., Madison, WI 53703
AGENDA: See attachment
Wolfe said for the first meeting, the Council will discuss organizational issues such as its objectives and the process for filling public seats. The Wisconsin Statewide Intelligence Center will also present an unclassified threat briefing. There will be a media availability immediately after the meeting at 11 a.m.
At future meetings, the Council will be asked to advise the WEC in several areas of election security, including assessing preparations for election security threats; developing processes to identify and address risks; information sharing; incident response planning; cybersecurity exercises; and public communications.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission is responsible for administration and enforcement of election laws in Wisconsin. The Commission is made up of six Commissioners – four appointed directly by the State Senate Majority Leader, Speaker of the Assembly and the Minority Leaders in the State Senate and Assembly. The remaining two Commissioners are by the Governor with confirmation by the State Senate from lists of former municipal and county clerks submitted by the legislative leadership in each party.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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