MEDIA ADVISORY: Oklahoma Election Cybersecurity Workshop Friday
On Friday, May. 29, 2020, the USC Election Cybersecurity Initiative will host a free online Oklahoma workshop, offering resources to campaigns, election workers, elected officials, academics, media and concerned citizens to reinforce election cybersecurity measures.
Contact: Tiffany Shackelford (703)470-2996 or tshackel@usc.edu; Emily Gersema, (213) 740-6973 or gersema@usc.edu; or Ted Kissell, (714) 316-8808 or tkissell@usc.edu
Experts on Friday afternoon will lead discussions on election cybersecurity with state and local officials and campaign representatives to help improve election cybersecurity in Oklahoma. Topics will include cyber safety, disinformation and misinformation, and crisis communications.
The USC Election Cybersecurity Initiative, supported by a generous gift from Google, is an independent, bipartisan effort to strengthen election cybersecurity through workshops held for each of the 50 states.
“We are going to all 50 states, in person when possible or virtually when we cannot, to make certain information about best practices is available to everyone, but especially for those in campaigns and elections,” said Adam Clayton Powell III, executive director of the project. “We are a national campaign, and our candidate is democracy.”
The initiative kicked off in January in Maryland, drawing experts in national security, elected officials, as well as journalists and concerned members of the public. It continued to Ohio, California, Kentucky, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arkansas, Virginia, Louisiana, Wyoming, Iowa, South Carolina, Delaware, Montana, Utah, Missouri, Alabama, Mississippi, New Hampshire and now Oklahoma.
“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 looking forward to bringing best practices in cybersecurity from the public, private and academic sectors, but at the same time, we want to hear from each state on how they are currently protecting their campaigns and elections on the ground,” said Justin Griffin, the initiative’s managing director.
WHAT: USC Election Cybersecurity Initiative. The topics covered include cyber safety, disinformation and misinformation, and crisis communication.
WHO: Experts speaking include:
- Paul Ziriax, Secretary, Oklahoma State Election Board
- Evan Handy, Campaign Manager, Senator Jim Inhofe
- Bill Shapard, Pollster, SoonerPoll
- Danyell Lanier, Democratic candidate for US Congress
- Lori Harless, Secretary, League of Women Voters of Oklahoma
- Clifford Neuman, Director, USC Center for Computer Systems Security; Senior Project Leader, USC Information Sciences Institute; and Associate Research Professor of Computer Science, USC Viterbi School of Engineering
- Burghardt Tenderich, Professor of Professional Practice and Associate Director, USC Center for Public Relations; Director of Masters of Strategic Public Relations, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
- Sarah Mojarad, MS, Lecturer, USC Viterbi School of Engineering
- Adam Clayton Powell III, Executive Director, USC Election Cybersecurity Initiative, and former USC Vice Provost
- Justin Griffin, Managing Director, USC Election Cybersecurity Initiative, and veteran of political campaigns
WHERE: Zoom Event. You will receive credentials upon registration.
WHEN: Friday, May 29, 2020 1:30 – 3:30 PM Eastern Time
REGISTRATION: To attend, register here: https://bit.ly/3cNjv98
MORE INFORMATION: The initiative is led by the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy, established by University Professor Geoffrey Cowan, who is the principal investigator for the USC Elections Cybersecurity Initiative. For more background on CCLP, please visit its website.