Homeland Security Show | Episode 25

Corporate Identity Theft and Voter Validation: How Can States Protect their Residents?

As the Secretary of State of Minnesota, Mark Ritchie is responsible for assuring the integrity and security of large databases of private information, including voter registration and corporate business filings. We discussed the following key issues:

• According to a paper published by the National Association of Secretaries of State, “highly organized criminals” are stealing corporate identities for the purpose of opening up false lines of credit and other accounts. One case involved more than 3,900 individual and business entities conducting more than $5 million in fraudulent transactions. In a growing environment of cyber threats, how are states protecting their residents and corporations from identity theft?

• With increased scrutiny on the integrity of elections, how can states assure that voters are qualified to vote, while protecting the databases that hold voter registrations?

Founded in 1904, the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) is the nation’s oldest, nonpartisan professional organization for public officials. Members include the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. NASS serves as a medium for the exchange of information between states and fosters cooperation in the development of public policy. The association has key initiatives in the areas of elections and voting, state business services and digital archiving, as well as several well-established awards programs.

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