Secure voting in SWFL is top priority for election officials

A push is being made to get voters to register on Tuesday for National Voter Registration Day.

Some residents say they wouldn’t miss the chance to have a say in the upcoming elections.

“I think it’s the most important thing you can do as a citizen, said Kurt Blumthal.

Others have very little faith in the system.

“Our election system is a scam, we don’t have a functioning democracy in America, said one angry citizen.

Worries about the voting system comes following the 2016 elections that were hacked by Russia, and some local hacking here at Lee County and Collier County Supervisor of Elections Offices.

“We received an email referred to as phishing and our staff because they’re trained was able to determine that was suspicious, it didn’t look like the normal emails that we get from that vendor so we were able to not open it and make the vendor aware,” said Jennifer Edwards, Collier County Supervisor of Elections.

But security is tightening up, Florida received more than 19 million dollars to amplify both physical and cyber security, $459,000 to Lee and more than $200,00 to Collier.

“That includes upgrades and equipment and replacement of equipment as well as training of our staff,” said Edwards.

For voters like Jesus Insua who came to America from Cuba as a boy, says he’s just happy to have the right,

“I think we have the most secure voting system in the world, I trust the current system. Everything can be improved, however this is the best Democratic company in the world.”

Register to vote here.