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WASHINGTON 0 SECRETARY OF STATE November 30, 2022 Memorandum for County Auditors & Election Officials Subject: Information Security Grant Purpose: To provide county auditors and election officials with information and funding to support election security efforts at the county level. Background: The Washington State Legislature in 2022 provided funding to support the Office of the Secretary of State's (OSOS) efforts to protect our election systems. Since a significant amount of work to secure our elections resides at the county level, I believe it is prudent to provide some of these funds to the counties. Therefore, using the authority vested in my office, I have directed the distribution of up to $80,000 annually in the form of grants to each county to support their efforts. Grant Requirements: Counties interested in participating in this program must meet the following requirements. a. Counties must have an Albert sensor that is installed, operational, and monitoring the network for cyber threats and attacks. b. Submit written notification to the Executive Director— Elections & Cybersecurity by December 31, 2022, on the county's intent to participate in the grant program. Information will follow explaining the process a county will use to secure the funding, thereby ensuring the distribution of funds meet the legislative intent of the appropriation. c. Funds distributed to the county must be expended no later than June 30, 2023. d. Funds distributed must go toward efforts to identify, mitigate, and protect the county election network and its peripheral systems from cybersecurity threats to enable the integrity of the election process. e. Counties will provide a summary of their efforts, as well as documentation such as invoices or contracts, to highlight how the funds were used. Suspense for this documentation is June 30, 2023. f. It is understood in most cases, the county auditor or election official does not manage or control the network or polices related to placing endpoints on the network. It is also acknowledged that the county network has a direct impact on the day-to-day efforts of election officials. Therefore, funds can go toward efforts that support the county at large if it has a direct benefit to election security.