Pennsylvania governor unveils election security task force to mitigate threats to the 2024 vote

Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania will announce a new election security task force Thursday that will put in place a cascade of measures across federal, state and local agencies that officials hope will keep the 2024 vote in the battleground state free from interference, misinformation and other major obstacles.

The Election Threats Task Force, first reported by NBC News, will be led by Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt and will involve officials from at least 10 government agencies, from election administration and law enforcement to homeland security to emergency management.

“We take our responsibility as stewards of our democracy seriously and the Election Threats Task Force will ensure all levels of government are working together to combat misinformation, safeguard the rights of every citizen, and ensure this election is safe, secure, free, and fair,” Shapiro said in a statement to NBC News.

The task force’s primary goal will be to coordinate plans and share information and intelligence among a wide variety of offices whose jurisdictions include elements of election safety that can tend to be peripheral to one another.

They include the U.S. attorney’s offices for the state’s three federal districts, the state attorney general’s office, commissioners and election directors across many of the state’s 67 counties, the state and federal Homeland Security departments, the state police, the state’s official information technology and emergency management branches and the Pennsylvania National Guard.

The broader goal? To mitigate threats to elections and protect voters and election workers and to make sure voters get accurate information about their elections.

The task force is being formed nearly four