MEDIA RELEASE: Secretary Pate honors Iowa county IT organization for election security assistance

DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate honored the Iowa County Information Technology organization (ICIT) with a prestigious award for its assistance with improving election cybersecurity across the state. Pate presented a National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) Medallion Award to the group during their annual conference on Thursday in West Des Moines.

“Election cybersecurity requires a team effort and the information technology personnel in counties across the state are a major part of our team. They have been instrumental in ensuring our elections are protected at every level,” Secretary Pate said.

Secretary Pate, Iowa’s Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) and ICIT worked diligently to ensure Iowa counties were protected by a suite of cybersecurity services before Election Day in 2018. By November, all 99 counties had signed up for at least one cybersecurity service from OCIO, and 90 counties are now covered by three or more services.

“ICIT is dedicated to continuing and enhancing partnerships with the Secretary of State and the OCIO to protect the integrity of Iowa’s elections,” said Eric Guth, ICIT president and Winnebago County IT director.

ICIT is an organization of representatives from Iowa counties who are responsible for the implementation, use and/or maintenance of technology within their department. They also have a “Paying IT Forward” program where members voluntarily travel to counties lacking IT departments and help with their technology and cybersecurity needs.

Pictures from the NASS Medallion Award presentation are available for your use at the links below:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/socialmedia.sos.iowa.gov/photos/NASSicit.jpg

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