Staff Reports
Of Florida’s 67 coiunties, 49 of them will get money to ramp up elections security efforts, per a Friday afternoon release from Gov. Rick Scott.
This money will be timely and welcome for elections supervisors. And another round of funding appears likely.
All 67 counties have applied for the grant funding, allocated based on a formula that includes population and funding requests.
Governor Scott said, “As Florida prepares for the upcoming election, nothing is more important than our work to ensure secure elections. This funding will help local Supervisors of Elections enhance their security so they can administer another smooth round of voting. I want to thank Secretary Ken Detzner and the team at the Department of State, the Florida Legislature and CFO Jimmy Patronis for expediting this important funding.”
Patronis said, “Cybersecurity has been a top priority of mine, and Gov. Scott was right to make secure elections a priority. As Florida’s election season heats up, it’s imperative our local officials have the resources needed to ensure a fair election. Investing in additional measures shows a total commitment to protecting the integrity of our democracy.”
Florida, per a report from the Center for American Progress earlier this year, got an F for elections security (even as state officials maintained that state law precluded providing much of the information requested by the liberal group. A lack of a paper trail for voting machines and a subpar audit process were cited in the condemnation.
Though Russians did try to hack state systems, Secretary of State Ken Detzner noted those intrusion efforts were unsuccessful. He also expressed confidence that local elections supervisors had some idea how to use the money.
Some of the biggest disbursements: Broward County ($1.159 million); Palm Beach ($909,513); and Hillsborough ($814,427).
