Security mistakes prompt changes to Georgia election system

ATLANTA (AP) – Georgia’s top elections official says his office will take over managing the state’s elections technology after a major security lapse at the center that has done the work for 15 years.

The planned change by Secretary of State Brian Kemp follows reports that cybersecurity experts discovered the state’s 6.7 million voter records and other sensitive files had been left exposed for months on the public website of the Center for Election Systems.

The researchers raised an alarm in March, prompting an FBI investigation and revealing other security problems.

Kemp said Friday his office is “equipped, trained, and tested to handle these operations in-house.”

According to an $815,000 contract obtained by The Associated Press, the center will continue to operate on the Kennesaw State University campus through June 30, 2018.

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