Now making its fifth stop in national tour, the USC-led cybersecurity program will feature local influencers and thought leaders from around Nevada. With generous support from Google, the initiative will have visited all 50 states before Election Day 2020, offering invaluable resources to campaigns, election workers, elected officials, and concerned citizens to reinforce election cybersecurity measures.
Contact: Adam Clayton Powell III at acpowell@usc.edu or (703) 848-5232; or Justin Griffin at justing7@usc.edu ; or (603) 218-9973; or Emily Gersema at gersema@usc.edu or (213) 740-2215; or Ted Kissell at tkissell@usc.edu or (714) 316-8808
LAS VEGAS —The University of Southern California will bring its 50-state election cybersecurity initiative on Tuesday, Feb. 25, to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The daylong program will feature insights from thought leaders including Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske on the evolving challenges and best practices of election cybersecurity.
The USC Election Cybersecurity Initiative launched one month ago in Maryland, drawing federal, state and local officials, as well as experts on cybersecurity and national media. Last week, the initiative visited Kentucky and convened thought leaders including Jared Dearing, executive director of the Kentucky State Board of Elections.
Tuesday’s discussions in Las Vegas will cover cyber safety, disinformation and misinformation, and crisis communication. The event will be open to the public and to media. Doors open at 8:30 a.m. Register here: https://uscnevada.eventbrite.com/
“We are going to all 50 states to make sure information is available to everyone, but especially to those in campaigns and elections,” said Adam Clayton Powell III, executive director of the project. “We like to say our candidate is democracy.”
Google provided support that enables the initiative to cover all 50 states.
“In advance of the 2020 election, we are committed to enhancing election security for voters, campaigns and journalists alike,” said Kristie Canegallo, vice president of Google’s Trust and Safety team. “We’re proud to support USC’s Election Security and Information Project to provide comprehensive training to candidates, campaigns, academics, elected officials, and NGOs to help them prepare for security challenges before the 2020 election.”
“We’re grateful to the UNLV and especially Secretary of State Cegavske in how proactive their teams have been in
facilitating this important discussion on a topic that is more relevant than ever,” said Justin Griffin, the project’s
managing director.
The nonpartisan initiative is led by the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy, which draws on expertise from the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences; USC Gould School of Law; USC Marshall School of Business; USC Price School of Public Policy; and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. The effort also is supported by USC political experts—some of whom have run presidential campaigns.
About the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy: The center was created a dozen years ago when Professor Geoffrey Cowan stepped down after a decade as Dean of the USC Annenberg School to become a University Professor and to lead a new research and policy center. From the start, one of CCLP’s areas of focus has been the impact of communication technology on society. For more background on CCLP, please visit its website.