§ 1-2-34 — Elections security program; general responsibilities

A. The secretary of state shall maintain an elections security program within the bureau of elections. The program shall have the general responsibility of advising the secretary of state, county clerks and the voting system certification committee regarding voting system and cybersecurity requirements and ensuring their implementation and shall be the primary liaison working with federal oversight and intelligence agencies regarding elections-critical infrastructure. B. The elections security program may conduct assessments, inspections and incident response in relation to networks and equipment deemed to be elections-critical infrastructure, both at the state and county levels. C. The elections security program shall monitor the functionality of voting systems certified for use in the state to ensure compliance with the security requirements provided for in Chapter 1, Article 9 NMSA 1978 and administrative rules adopted pursuant to that article. D. Documents and communications related to election security or that could put elections- critical infrastructure at risk are exempt from disclosure. E. As used in this section, "elections-critical infrastructure" means those assets, systems and networks, whether physical or virtual, that are considered so vital to elections in this state that their infiltration, incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on the administration of elections, the secrecy of the ballot and the efficient reporting of accurate results for any election conducted pursuant to the Election Code.

Legislative History

Laws 2023, ch. 39, § 8.