America's Part-Time Election Defenders

Ohio has set up a volunteer militia of tech workers to help fend off cyber attacks

- By Katrina Manson

Chris Riling says he “could never join the military.” The 37-year-old systems architect at Cisco Systems Inc. has cerebral palsy and wouldn’t have managed basic training, he says. Yet he recently swore an oath to protect the country and obey his commanding officers. At any moment, he can be called up for active duty reporting to the National Guard.

Riling is a volunteer for a novel kind of civilian reserve in Ohio—a group of about 80 mostly private-sector tech professionals tasked with combating cyberattacks. It’s a model that’s already catching on with other cash-strapped state and local governments.

The idea that election security could be bolstered by unpaid militia members is an indication of just how much strain local officials face. In the US, states and smaller jurisdictions run elections— including federal ones—often with few resources, limited know-how, and divergent approaches.