Boise State University experts received $500,000 from the Idaho Secretary of State to create the Idaho Election Cybersecurity Center, or INSURE.
An interdisciplinary team of Boise State cybersecurity, computer science and political science experts will recommend and develop tools, technologies and policies to protect elections in Idaho from cyber or information attacks, a press release from Boise State said. The center’s research priorities will include:
- Identifying election vulnerabilities
- Creating online voter registration systems with standards and policies
- The threat of disinformation during elections
- Campaign security
- Paper, electronic and blockchain based voting
“Election cybersecurity is critical to ensure that Americans are able to carry out their democratic duty and privilege with confidence. Our researchers’ new and groundbreaking work in this area will be vital in efforts to help our nation maintain a secure and trustworthy election process,” said Marlene Tromp, BSU’s president.
The grant will run for five years and will create open-sourced tools so other states can use them freely, the press release said.
“This investment represents our belief in what we can accomplish together through inquiry and innovation, and our commitment as a state to providing fair, secure, and transparent elections. We look forward to the future solutions that this partnership will provide not only for Idaho, but for our national elections ecosystem,” Chief Deputy Secretary of State Chad Houck said.
