Mayor Gorton, SOS Adams announce new security for Kentucky’s voter registration system

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Secretary of State Michael Adams and Mayor Linda Gorton announced a new security initiative to protect Kentucky’s statewide voter registration system on Wednesday.

Yubikey is a method of two-factor authentication that protects election data from unauthorized access.

Through a federal grant obtained via a joint partnership of the Secretary of State, the Lexington Mayor, the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Yubikey devices will be distributed to all 120 county clerks, enhancing the cybersecurity of our election system’s critical infrastructure.

“We have made great strides in improving election security these past 15 months, but there is more to do,” said Adams. “I’m grateful to our federal and state partners, and particularly Mayor Gorton, for making this improvement possible.”

“In 2020, despite the pandemic, we had a successful election thanks to our state and local officials, who kept our citizens safe, while making secure voting more accessible and more convenient,” Gorton said. “Now, Secretary of State Adams is taking the next step by helping us add another layer of security. We greatly appreciate his work. Free and fair elections are essential to our democracy.”

The City of Lexington took its first steps this week in approving the grant for use. Implementation will take place over the next year, in advance of Kentucky’s next elections in 2022.

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