Cyber Experts Partner to Reduce Poll Watcher Cybersecurity Risk in Battleground States

Drip7 and the Institute for Cyber Civics partner to boost U.S. election security, educating poll watchers to create a more informed, vigilant observer network.

SPOKANE, WA, UNITED STATES, October 31, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Drip7, an innovative cybersecurity risk reduction and microlearning platform, announces a strategic partnership with the Institute for Cyber Civics, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to bringing cybersecurity expertise to everyday civic life, starting with election specific cybersecurity awareness for the 2024 US Elections. This strategic partnership offers essential, anonymous cyber training to poll watchers and election observers, a portion of the front line workers tasked with ensuring the integrity and fairness of U.S. elections.

In the 2020 general election, 774,000 poll workers participated in 44 states and the District of Columbia according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission's Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS). Poll watchers serve in addition to poll workers, with each precinct being permitted one observer each from the Democrat, Republican and Independent affiliations. This highlights the sheer volume of people involved in these critical roles to ensure the integrity and smooth operation of U.S. elections.

The cybersecurity education initiative of the Institute for Cyber Civics addresses an urgent need to better equip poll workers and watchers with the skills and knowledge to detect potential cybersecurity issues that could affect the elections. Through their strategic partnership, Drip7 will deliver its microlearning modules for poll watchers using its step-by-step "drip" method, providing accessible and digestible training on 13 critical areas, including anti-phishing, recognizing technology system outages, and safeguarding physical security of voting machines. Training is voluntary and free, delivered anonymously to protect the privacy of volunteers.

Heather Stratford, founder of Drip7, emphasizes the importance of cybersecurity awareness:
"Cybersecurity is important to everyone in their daily and business life. We want to help educate election officials and poll watchers on the nuances of cybersecurity so election workers are more aware and better able to reduce risks in our elections process."

Kirsten Davies, founder of the Institute for Cyber Civics and former Chief Information Security Officer of Unilever, Estee Lauder Companies, and Barclays (Africa Group), joins in announcing the groundbreaking work of the Institute and its partners, "The purpose of The Institute’s training is to provide Poll Watchers and Poll Workers alike with non-partisan insight into how to spot potential cybersecurity issues. As a former Fortune 500 cyber executive, I’ve focused much of my career on building better cyber awareness for employees. The need for cyber education for frontline workers in our elections is clear, and I am thrilled we are releasing this important work."

The training covers both "what" to look for and "why" it matters, ensuring that participants not only recognize potential cyber issues but also grasp the significance of addressing them. Drip7 was motivated to join this initiative because it aligns with its core mission to reduce cybersecurity risk in critical sectors by empowering humans with its proven ecosystem.

For this election cycle, training is available to all poll watchers and poll workers– targeted to reach the seven battleground states: Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, South Carolina, Nevada, and Arizona. The partnership aims to expand the reach of the program to all 50 states in future election cycles.

"Our goal is to empower poll watchers and election officials with practical knowledge to ensure smooth and secure elections," said Stratford. "With our targeted microlearning, participants aren’t overwhelmed with generic cyber information, but instead build election-specific cybersecurity resilience incrementally.”

To learn more about this initiative or to access the training, please visit the Institute for Cyber Civics at https://instituteforcybercivics.org/.

Kirsten Davies
Founder and CEO Institute for Cyber Civics
info@instituteforcybercivics.org

Heather Stratford
Founder and CEO Drip7 Inc.
heather@drip7.com
https://www.drip7.com

This collaboration between Drip7 and the Institute for Cyber Civics represents a crucial step forward in promoting the security of U.S. elections by educating those on the front lines. Together, they aim to create a more informed and vigilant group of election observers, reducing risk in our nation's most fundamental process.

Kirsten Davies
Founder and CEO Institute for Cyber Civics
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