Idaho
No tampering in Idaho’s election: State, federal officials discuss November election security • Idaho Capital Sun
Idaho officials are taking steps to strengthen the state’s election security.
At a press conference on Wednesday morning, Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane met with federal officials from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise to highlight the partnership between the two agencies.
Established in 2018, CISA is the country’s newest federal agency. It was established after Russian attempts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, which led to election infrastructure being designated as critical infrastructure, CISA director Jen Easterly said at the conference.
“We’re America’s cyber defense agency, and we’re the national coordinator for critical infrastructure security and resilience,” Easterly said. “We protect and defend the systems that Americans rely on every hour of every day, for health care, water, power, transportation, communication, and those systems that Americans use to cast their ballots and to ensure that those ballots are counted.”
While elections are not run by the federal government, CISA serves to provide state and local governments with cybersecurity support ahead of elections with no cost cybersecurity assessments and training.
“We’ve done a lot of work over the last 20 years — but in particular over the last four years — to continue to build the infrastructure of the system that we have so that Idahoans, when they head to the polls, can have absolute confidence that their vote will count and that nobody is tampering with the systems that we have here in our state,” McGrane said.
Foreign interference is a top concern for election officials
A major concern for U.S. officials is the potential for election interference by foreign adversaries from Iran, Russia and China.
“We know (they) are very intent on doing two things: undermining American confidence in the security of our election and in our democracy, and trying to stoke partisan rancor and discord,” Easterly said.
There have been no specific attempts from foreign groups to interfere in Idaho elections, McGrane said, adding that one of the country’s greatest strengths is its diffuse election system that makes every state conduct its own elections.
Another key security feature of the nation’s election system is that the systems used by Americans to cast their votes are not connected to the internet, Easterly said.
“I have high, high, high confidence that actors would not be able to hack into election infrastructure to change votes,” she said. “I do not think that that is a real threat at all, but I think we have to recognize that our foreign adversaries may attempt to make Americans believe that.”
Easterly said she recognizes there is skepticism about the security of U.S. elections, and she encourages skeptics to get more involved by becoming poll workers or connecting with local election officials.
“It really will take all of us to protect and preserve our democracy from very serious foreign adversaries,” she said.
Rural Idaho face greater election challenges with limited resources
In addition to foreign involvement, risks to Idahoans casting their vote are faced by those mostly in rural communities, McGrane said.
Idaho GOP says more than a dozen ‘vote no on Prop 1’ signs vandalized
Wildfires, power outages, limited cell service and even the absence of one information technology worker can hinder a rural county’s election efficiency. By working with CISA, McGrane said he hopes to provide more resources to those areas.
Other risks to Idaho elections include the possibility of active shootings and the rise of political violence, McGrane said.
“I think a perfect example of that locally is the damage to yard signs,” McGrane said.
This week, the Idaho Republican Party said more than a dozen signs in opposition to the Proposition 1 ballot initiative had been vandalized.
“The vandalism – it feels small, but as things escalate, as the political tensions rise, both nationally and locally, I think one of the things we all need to be mindful of is that an important part of our democratic process is having a voice at the ballot box,” McGrane said.
BOISE, Idaho (Idaho Capital Sun) — Day use access fees at all Idaho state parks will be waived for Idaho residents on July 4 as part of a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, Gov. Brad Little announced Friday, as reported by the Idaho Capital Sun.
“As we prepare to mark 250 years of American independence, there is no better way to celebrate than by getting outside with our loved ones and enjoying the freedoms and natural treasures that define our great nation,” Little said Friday. “Idaho’s state parks showcase the very best of our state, and we are proud to welcome families, friends and visitors to explore them free of charge during this special occasion.”
While day use fees for Idaho residents will be waived, normal camping and reservation fees will apply, officials said.
Idaho has 28 state parks, which offer a variety of recreational and outdoor activities including hiking, horseback riding, skiing, bird watching, rock climbing, fishing, boating, swimming, bicycling and more.
State officials with the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation are in the process of unveiling improvements and enhancements at several state parks, including Lucky Peak State Park outside of Boise, which recently opened a new dog beach and accessible kayak launch on the Boise River.
Other state parks include Bruneau Dunes State Park and Observatory, Harriman State Park, Bear Lake State Park and City of Rocks National Reserve, which is a national reserve and state park that attracts climbers from all over the world to its dramatic granite rock spires.
Little said the July 4 fee waiver is a part of a larger effort to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence being signed in 1776.
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We’re lucky to live in a place as safe as the Treasure Valley. Despite our growth, one of the things that makes our area so special is the way that we look out for one another–for our neighbors! That’s a principle that seems to have held on as Boise has boomed.
Despite low crime rates, there seems to always be one incident or so that makes us scratch our heads.
A recent string of fraud incidents in the Treasure Valley area is one of those.
Nampa Police initially warned the public of this because cases of fraud began to ‘mushroom’. Then, it took an interesting turn–people that HAD their credit cards were being ‘taken to the bank’, so to speak.
In a statement originally released on April 30th by the Nampa Police Department, officials advised the following:
We are not sure how the suspects are gaining access to the victim’s credit cards. There is a growing fraud scheme, “ghost tapping”, that scammers are using to access victims’ credit cards. This is possibly occurring in these instances. “Ghost tapping” uses stolen credit card details in Apple Pay or Google Pay, then remotely relays the tap signal over the internet to a ‘mule’ at a store, allowing them to make high-value purchases that appear completely legitimate. (We’ll share more information on ghost tapping in a later public service announcement that will also suggest ways to protect yourself.) The app used by these criminals obscures the actual credit card number, making it harder for investigators to link a victim to a particular crime. Keep in mind that victims still have their physical credit cards while suspects use the stolen card information to make purchases, which also affects how victims are alerted. So far, local investigators have not been able to identify a common theme among the victims (e.g., a specific bank, a website they visited, a gas pump they used, etc.) in the fraud cases we are investigating.
The investigation spans far and wide.
Authorities say that some suspects are in custody, others are being contacted, and others are still at large.
Now, a week later, the police are back to reaching out to the public–this time, urging people to check their bank accounts.
Nampa Police say that they have caught onto a pattern– there are fraudulent charges at Albertson’s to purchase gift cards, at Costco to purchase Apple products, and at Best Buy, also for Apple products.
Check those bank statements!
Inside The Arrest of 3 Venezuelan Fraudsters
What on earth was happening in Eagle this week?
Gallery Credit: Credit: Mateo, 103.5 KISS FM
It’s Not Hard To See Why This Idaho Police Photoshoot Is Going Viral
The Jerome Police Department is going viral thanks to Twin Falls photographer, Layton Henderson. Once you see the hilarious photos, you’ll see why!
Gallery Credit: Chris Cardenas
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