TRENTON, NJ, October 31, 2023 – The New Jersey Division of Elections and the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness (NJOHSP) remind New Jersey voters that the State’s Election Security Coordination Task Force is on guard to ensure the security and integrity of the State’s elections infrastructure.

The Task Force, which is comprised of State, federal, and local government and non-government organizations, works together to identify and mitigate threats to the State's elections infrastructure, and to respond to any incidents that may occur.

Throughout the general election period, the State’s Cybersecurity Operations Center, which is run by the New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell (NJCCIC), a component organization within NJOHSP, will be activated and act as a hub for all Task Force coordination activities.

“As New Jersey’s Chief Election Official, I am proud to work closely with my State government colleagues to protect election workers and the physical and digital infrastructure of our elections,” said Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way, who oversees the Division of Elections in her capacity as New Jersey Secretary of State. “Every voter should feel confident to participate in New Jersey’s free, fair, and secure elections.”

“Casting a ballot is every citizen’s civic duty,” said NJOHSP Director Laurie Doran. “Elections have a tremendous impact on our lives and communities, and our agency takes very seriously our responsibility to ensure that every vote is accurately and securely tabulated. Free and fair elections are foundational to our democracy, and we are committed to ensuring our residents have confidence in New Jersey’s electoral process.”

The mission of the Task Force is to collaborate, assess, and protect the State’s elections infrastructure, ensuring that every eligible voter can participate in a secure and reliable electoral process. Key objectives of the Task Force include continuous monitoring of cyber threats, cyber risk assessments, coordination of information sharing, public awareness and voter education, and coordination of cyber incident response.

“We work closely with the county election offices to ensure that they have the necessary resources and support they need to conduct our elections safely,” said Assistant Secretary of State Dr. Lauren Zyriek Enriquez, who leads the Division of Elections as Acting Director. “Our Task Force brings together people at every level of government to protect our democracy.”

“It is a testament to the commitment and efforts of all our Task Force partners that New Jersey residents can be sure their vote counts,” said NJCCIC Division Director Michael Geraghty. “The Task Force partners work throughout the year to conduct risk assessments, strengthen our elections infrastructure, and develop and implement strategies to ensure the integrity of the State’s elections infrastructure and processes, all in preparation for the general election.”

The New Jersey Elections Security Coordination Task Force partners include the New Jersey Secretary of State’s office, New Jersey Division of Elections, NJOHSP, NJCCIC, New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, New Jersey State Police, New Jersey National Guard, New Jersey Office of Information Technology, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, United States Postal Inspection Service, county elections offices, Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, and the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center.