Florida's top election official is looking to hire cybersecurity experts ahead of next year's election.
Secretary of State Laurel Lee has submitted a budget request for $1.3 million dollars to create a ten-person cybersecurity unit.
Lee has also requested an additional $1 million dollars that local election offices would use to deal with any vulnerabilities uncovered in a security review ordered by Governor Ron DeSantis in May.
Last year the state received a $19.2 million dollar grant from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission which in part will be directed to the unit, and the remaining funds needed were approved by the Florida Legislature.
Lee will also oversee a review of the cybersecurity policies of the election supervisors in Florida’s 67 counties. meant to identify and mitigate potential vulnerabilities before voters go to polling places in 2020
All this comes after Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report said Russians successfully hacked two Florida counties during the 2016 election.
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