This was a presentation given at a joint LWV Houston / Sketch City meeting on October 17, 2017. It outlines the League of Women Voters Houston election cybersecurity study.

1. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/14/us/voting-russians-hacking-states-.html

2. What we’re covering today:
• Who are the people in the election cybersecurity ecosystem?
• Where does LWV Houston fit into the conversation?
• What is an LWV Houston study?
• What is the LWV Houston election cybersecurity study?
• What do we hope to accomplish with this study?
• How you can get involved

3. Who are the people in the election cybersecurity ecosystem?

4. Researchers
Background
Best practices
Long term recommendations
Journalists
Accountability
Investigation
Story amplification
Who are the people in the election cybersecurity ecosystem?

5. Researchers
Background
Best practices
Long term recommendations
Journalists
Accountability
Investigation
Story amplification
LONG TERM
PROBLEM SOLVING
IMMEDIATE TERM
INVESTIGATIONS
Who are the people in the election cybersecurity ecosystem?

6. Researchers
Background
Best practices
Long term recommendations
Journalists
Accountability
Investigation
Story amplification
Who are the people in the election cybersecurity ecosystem?

7. Researchers
Background
Best practices
Long term recommendations
Journalists
Accountability
Investigation
Story amplification
Advocates
Day to day pressure
Community coalitions
Messaging
Who are the people in the election cybersecurity ecosystem?

8. Researchers
Background
Best practices
Long term recommendations
Journalists
Accountability
Investigation
Story amplification
Advocates
Day to day pressure
Community coalitions
Messaging
Where does LWV Houston fit into the conversation?

9. What is an LWV Houston study?
Studies are the mechanism that the League of Women Voters uses to
advocate for high-priority issues with one voice.
Each study contains a research component and a consensus
component. Studies can lead to positions on a high priority issue.
Studies and positions are adopted through consensus with the
League membership.
The League of Women Voters of the Houston area periodically
conducts studies and has a series of positions dating back to the
1960’s.

10. What is the LWV Houston cybersecurity study?
The LWV Houston cybersecurity study is an assembly of local and
national election cybersecurity research and best practices.
Through this study, we will determine the best positions for advocacy
in the 2018 election cycle and beyond.
The positions will give LWV Houston advocates vocabulary and
messaging for proper election cybersecurity.
If the study goes according to plan and we achieve consensus,
election cybersecurity advocacy can begin in May 2018.

11. How you can get involved
Committees
• Election machines (technology, design, testing, and procurement)
• What are the documented vulnerabilities in our current election machines in Harris County?
• What is the academic view of machine design for security?
• What is the procurement process in Texas for machine approval and county selection?
• How can we create a vision for existing orgs formed by statute, like the Testing Board?
• How can we assist the county clerk with better test design beyond logic and review? e.g. provisional ballot parallel
testing?
• What are all the ways you can vote and what machines do you use?
• Best practices
• What are the cybersecurity best practices that anyone with access to sensitive information should follow?
• What is the digital daisy chain of connectivity between the outside world and all machines that process votes?
• What are the best practices from other industries that should be applied to elections?
• What are the best practices currently being developed by other election boards and clerks?
• Public education and messaging
• How can every voter get informed on this issue?
• How will we coordinate advocacy through the 2018 election, the 2019 lege session, and beyond?
• How do we craft our position to last through the years?
• Review study drafts and work on marketing and messaging.
• Other committees?

12. study proposal approved by LWV Houston membership
determine scope and time line of study
introduce study to greater Houston community
determine study subcommittees and deliverables
assemble study components
draft study
present to subcommittees for discussion & consensus
present to LWV Houston board for discussion & consensus
circulate to LWV Houston membership for discussion
bring to LWV Houston membership for consensus & vote to adopt
Steps before study adoption
This is a consensus-driven process.

13. • October 2017: form committees, determine structure of study
• November 2017: first committee report meeting
• December 2017: present initial committee findings
• January 2018: try to achieve consensus within committees
• February 2018: assemble draft study
• March 2018: try to achieve consensus with LWV Houston board
• April 2018: circulate draft study to LWV Houston membership
• May 2018: move to have LWV membership vote to adopt study
Time line
Want to get involved?
jeff@januaryadvisors.com