Thurston County to receive funding for security of election offices

Thurston County is one of 29 counties in Washington State to receive funding to strengthen the security of local elections.

The Office of the Secretary of State has distributed around $2 million to 29 county election offices in the ongoing effort to enhance election security across Washington.

Secretary of State Steve Hobbs announced that the third year of funding is now available and each county can apply for up to $80,000 to enhance their election security infrastructure.

"County election officials and employees around the state work hard to ensure our election systems are fair and secure," Hobbs stated. "This additional funding will go a long way to bolster security efforts."

The funds are designated for various improvements, including purchasing or upgrading election security software and hardware, hiring IT security personnel, and making structural enhancements.

In Thurston County, physical security upgrades such as permanent vehicle barriers have been installed to secure the elections office.

"This funding was vital to our acquiring barriers for our new voting center in the form of large concrete planters," Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall explained. “These will protect both staff and voters during an election.”

Other counties in the region, such as Snohomish County, will invest in monitoring devices, enhanced security for ballot drop boxes, building security upgrades, and improved cybersecurity measures and training.

Stevens County will use the funding for physical improvements to publicly accessible areas, including installing see-through wire mesh barriers, large monitors, and a lobby management system.

Secretary Hobbs initiated this program in November 2022, and in its first year, $1.57 million was awarded to 25 counties.

The program aims to protect elections from cyber threats and other security challenges.

To qualify for the funding, counties must have an Albert sensor to monitor their network for cyber threats.

The application deadline for the current funding cycle is May 2, 2025.