Nevada Secretary of State Barbara K Cegavske 2018 HAVA Election Security Grant Project Narrative July 2018 The following project narrative describes how the Of ce of the Nevada Secretary of State plans to use the $4 277 723 00 award and $213 886 00 required matching funds This narrative includes the timeframe for the use of the funds as well as the immediate and long term activities improvements It also includes a description of the allocation and expenditure of the required matching funds Voting quipment Replacement and Upgrades In 2017 all of Nevada's local election of cials purchased new voting equipment The old voting equipment had surpassed its usable life Due to the lack of available of parts and functionality limitations a new system was purchased during State Fiscal Year 2018 As such 2018 HAVA Election Security Grant funds will not be used to purchase voting equipment A portion of this expense will go towards the State Match Requirement as an in kind contribution Please see the Narrative section regarding the State Match Requirement Election Auditing Nevada currently has standard post election auditing This category will use grant funds to expand upon current practices and procedures as well as utilize industry best practices within the state For example the Secretary of State will hire a full-time position dedicated to improving the administration of federal elections through local election of cial procedure audits in conjunction with review and improvement of state guidance of election procedures A majority of Nevada s local election of cials are part time election administrators and the improvement of de ned and well rounded state guidance will enhance the integrity and uniformity of administration of elections for federal of ce at the local level More robust post-election auditing will also be undertaken using the grant funds Voting Registration Systems and Management The current statewide voter registration list utilizes standard security features and protocol Use of the HAVA Election Security Grant will provide for signi cant enhancements and upgrades Such activities and improvements include the addition of features that align the web based system with modern security concerns such as multi-factor authentication In addition to physical system improvements funds will provide for user training Local election of cials will undergo a Secretary of State evaluation and training before the issuance of access credentials Such assessment will include a needs-based analysis in addition to system-role limitations The addition of a full-time position will provide the Secretary of State with the bandwidth necessary to achieve the above goals This position will focus on improving the security of and data in the statewide system and the procedures for data management and maintenance according to federal and state requirements This is especially helpful as Nevada utilizes a bottom-up system where local election of cials manage and maintain a county voter registration system that feeds batch data into the statewide system to comply with federal requirements This system model has elevated data and security concerns This position will signi cantly mitigate these concerns through analysis and process review Lastly the availability of a voter's registration record for review and editing by the registrant provides for better data accuracy and management The Secretary of State currently provides this functionality to registered voters amid a variety of different systems Grant funds will provide for the development of a single point of access for voters to access and manage their voter registration record This voter information portal directly contributes to 2018 HAVA Election Security Grant Budget Narrative July 2018 Page 2 of 2 the security and improvement of elections through increased transparency of voter registration information - the basis for a clean and secure election A single point of access also allows for the consolidation of data security mechanisms into one system vaer Vulnerabilities One of the immediate actions taken will include the evaluation of state and local data and system management Due to the physical design and placement of voter registration and voting systems the state plans to use grant funds to contract with government and private entities for review analysis and improvement of procedures and practices for administering these systems In addition to the proactive measures the Secretary of State will invest in strategic alliances for retroactive review of systems to determine previous penetration activity or attempts and dormant les detection This category will also provide for the establishment of procedures for local election of cial training with emphasis on cybersecurity awareness Tr The Secretary of State will use expenditures within this category to provide state and local election of cials with staff development and training These activities will improve the administration of elections for federal of ce and election security through access to new and additional resources including the exposure of local election of cials to resources and conversations available to state and federal election of cials Communication The Secretary of State will use a nominal portion of the grant funds to increase public awareness regarding local and state resources available to registered voters to access review and secure their voter registration record Additional voter education will include increased public awareness about the measures taken by local and state election of cials to collect secure and maintain voter registration and voting systems Other Election Jurisdiction Grants This category will include three subsections 1 county voter registration database security 2 ballot and voting equipment security enhancements and 3 improvements to the administration of elections for federal of ce These grants will require local election of cials to demonstrate need and local sustainability Database security grants will likely include but are not limited to the implementation of intrusion detection systems and contracts Ballot and voting equipment security grants will assist local election of cials with the improvement of physical and electronic security practices for the voting systems such as the tamper evident security seals physical security mechanisms and video surveillance Grants for the improvement of the administration of federal elections will provide local election of cials with the ability to make proposals regarding self- assessment of local concerns and issues Grants will also serve as the basis for potential best practices and or mandatory requirements for other election jurisdictions Reguired State Match The Secretary of State will allocate $213 886 00 of the State funds expended on replacement voting equipment as an in-kind match equal to the amount required by the 2018 HAVA Election Security Grant