"It is important to stress what this designation does and does not mean," Jeh Johnson said in a statement (emphasis his) | Getty DHS labels elections as 'critical infrastructure'

The Department of Homeland Security on Friday declared the electoral system as "critical infrastructure," the latest in a series of eleventh-hour responses to alleged Russian election-season hacks.

The designation — which will put election equipment in the same category as the power grid or financial sector — came the same day that intelligence agencies released an unclassified report that concluded Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a hacking campaign against Democratic organizations and officials that eventually aimed to help elect Donald Trump. The report said Russian spies had accessed elements of state and local election boards as part of their digital meddling.


Labeling election equipment as part of the country's "critical infrastructure" has faced strong opposition from some state election officials. But DHS head Jeh Johnson insisted it would make protecting polling places, election machines, voter databases and other information technology a formal cybersecurity priority for the department.

"It is important to stress what this designation does and does not mean," Johnson said in a statement (emphasis his). "This designation does not mean a federal takeover, regulation, oversight or intrusion concerning elections in this country."

Beyond establishing election systems as a formal priority, Johnson said the move is meant to send a signal internationally that the United States would take every step possible to protect those systems in the same way it defends the energy, defense, banking and other sectors.

The “critical” label is applied to sectors that, if damaged, would inflict serious harm to the nation’s security or economy.

DHS chose to file election systems under "government facilities" one of the 16 existing critical infrastructure sectors. Under the new designation, states that request cybersecurity assistance can receive swifter access to threat intelligence and be able to participate in joint defense exercises.

Johnson first floated the possibility in August. One of the leading critics of the move, Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, said Johnson had blindsided state election officials, adding, "This action is a federal overreach into a sphere constitutionally reserved for the states."

"The new Congress has already been sworn in and this administration only has 15 days left in its term," Kemp said in a statement to POLITICO. "The responsible course of action is for the new administration to take up this issue and examine it before any decision is made in the 11th hour. This smacks of partisan politics."

But one top Democrat in Congress, Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, immediately praised Johnson.

"In the long term, this will put our electoral systems on a more secure footing and maintain public confidence in our elections," said Thompson, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee. "I commend Secretary Johnson for making this important decision."

Many cybersecurity experts have also long called on the Obama administration to make the critical infrastructure designation, saying it would give state officials better tools to combat hacks.

Eric Geller contributed to this report.