Hundreds of Wisconsin Election Offices Fail to Adopt Cybersecurity Best Practices
Hundreds of election offices across Wisconsin are not adhering to recommended cybersecurity best practices, with many still utilizing consumer email accounts like Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo for official election business. A Votebeat analysis of state data revealed that approximately one in three Wisconsin clerks use these non-government email addresses, primarily in municipalities with fewer than 5,000 residents. While some 360 municipalities use custom domains like kenosha.org, these lack the verified government entity status of .gov domains. Kenosha is noted as the largest Wisconsin city without a registered government domain for its email or website. Experts emphasize that government domains are harder to spoof and more resistant to phishing attacks, which have targeted election officials in other states. The Wisconsin Elections Commission has provided grants and assistance to help local governments improve election security, but federal funding for these programs is diminishing.
