The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has appointed Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman as CISA’s Senior Election Security Lead.
CISA’s decision to appoint Wyman, an expert on elections and experienced state official, speaks to the agency’s focus on working with election officials throughout the nation in a non-partisan manner to ensure the security and resilience of the U.S.’s election infrastructure.
Wyman was elected as Washington’s 15th Secretary of State in 2012, and was responsible for overseeing state and local elections, corporation and charity filings, the Washington State Library, the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library, and the Washington State Archives. Before being elected to that office, she served as Thurston County Elections Director for nearly a decade, and served three terms as the elected Thurston County Auditor.
“Kim’s deep knowledge of state and county government will strengthen our partnerships with state and local officials and enable us to expand our outreach to smaller election jurisdictions and private sector partners. Free and fair elections are a cornerstone of our democracy; Kim and I share a common view that ensuring the security of our elections must be a non-partisan effort,” said CISA Director Jen Easterly in a press release.
Following the 2020 presidential election, CISA’s then-director Christopher Krebs drew the ire of the Trump administration for pronouncing the election to be secure, and as Washington Secretary of State, Wyman also pushed back against false claims of mail-in ballot fraud, with Washington state among those to use only mail-in ballots.
In her new role, Wyman will be the point person for state and local officials to protect election infrastructure and voters from misinformation. In a statement, Wyman added that she is dedicated to supporting CISA’s efforts to safeguard our election systems from cyber-attacks and enhance the public’s confidence in U.S. elections.
“As I assume this new role, I remain committed to protecting the integrity of our elections and working closely with local and state elections officials nationwide to bolster this foundational pillar of our democracy,” said Wyman.
