The Washington County Auditor’s Office recently received a grant to strengthen cybersecurity in response to elections.

County Auditor Dan Widmer presented a grant agreement to the Board of Supervisors at their recent meeting which they approved. The county applied for and was awarded an amount not exceeding $10,000 for the purpose of preventing, preparing for, and responding to cybersecurity threats to elections. This is part of the Help America Vote Act which was passed by the U.S. Congress in 2002, and the agreement requires that the county maintain a proper accounting system and maintain records to demonstrate compliance with the agreement. The county is also subject to an audit of all funds received under this agreement. Widmer says approval of this agreement is the first step in this process, and further details of this grant will be released in the future.