New Jersey's 2024 general election is set against a backdrop of heightened attention to election security, with a strong focus on safeguarding voting systems and protecting the election from interference. NJOHSP, the New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell (NJCCIC), state officials, and federal partners have emphasized a comprehensive approach to security, ranging from robust cybersecurity measures to physical security assessments. With the upcoming election season, November 5 will mark New Jersey's first in-person presidential election in eight years. The in-person early voting period begins October 26 and runs through November 3. During this time, voters from all 21 counties can visit any designated early voting location within their county to cast their ballots. New Jersey's election security operation for 2024 is a comprehensive, multi-faceted initiative designed to protect the electoral process from both traditional and emerging threats. By collaborating with federal and local agencies, the State aims to ensure a secure, fair, and trustworthy election. These efforts reflect New Jersey's commitment to maintaining public confidence in the integrity of its elections. 

Key dates:

• Early Voting: October 26 - November 3, 2024
• Election Day: November 5, 2024
• Absentee Ballot Application Deadline: October 29, 2024
• Absentee Ballot Return Deadline: November 5, 2024 (by 8 p.m.)

For election resources, view the New Jersey Voter Information Portal.

NJOHSP unveiled its State Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Report October 15, detailing the agency's accomplishments aligned with its State fiscal year 2024 strategic plan and goals. These include Enhanced Security and Intelligence Operations, Cybersecurity Leadership and Innovation, Advanced Preparedness and Resilience, Efficient Resource and Administrative Management, and Effective Communication and Public Engagement. Throughout the year, NJOHSP's dedicated team worked diligently to mitigate risks and bolster safety across New Jersey. The achievements showcased in this year's annual report underscore their steadfast commitment to the community and the overall safety and security of the state. Prior to the release of the report, NJOHSP's senior staff and bureau chiefs held its annual retreat September 20 to discuss accomplishments related to the strategic plan and goals including:

• New Jersey Statewide Threat Assessment Team: A multi-agency, multi-disciplinary approach focusing on threat actors with blended ideologies and mental health issues in the planning stages to conduct mass casualty attacks. The program seeks to identify at-risk individuals prior to a violent incident and thwart potential attacks by offering "off ramps" through mental health and other social services. New Jersey is leading efforts in targeted violence prevention by collaborating with law enforcement, education, and mental health partners to identify and mitigate threat actors on a pathway to violence. 
• Houses of Worship Bleeding Control Kit Initiative: Launched in March, the program aims to increase survivability of active violent events. NJOHSP, in collaboration with its Interfaith Advisory Council, has provided over 1,000 no-cost bleeding control kits to houses of worship in 19 of 21 counties, and delivered five bleeding control kit training sessions with plans to continue and increase distribution into State fiscal year 2025. The kits contain basic items used to stop extreme hemorrhages and pneumothorax injuries. NJOHSP purchased the kits with grant funds awarded to New Jersey from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
• Homeland Security Grant Program: NJOHSP was responsible for the administrative and programmatic oversight of over $121 million of the Homeland Security Grant Program, State Homeland Security Program, and Urban Areas Security Initiative funding. Grant investments are focused on reducing the risk of acts of terrorism along key mission areas. Much of this funding is passed to local units of government to grow local preparedness capabilities.
• New Jersey Domestic Security Preparedness Task Force (DSPTF): The task force established an Intelligence and Information Sharing Subcommittee to supervise the conduct of a needs assessment and subsequent development of a statewide intelligence and information sharing strategy by 2025. The DSPTF continues to promote cooperative special event planning statewide and enhance the integration and coordination of statewide critical infrastructure protection.

NJOHSP Director Laurie Doran and Deputy Director Dan Engelhardt participated in "Chief Talk," a podcast facilitated by the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (NJSACOP), where they discussed the agency's mission and initiatives, and election security among other topics. NJOHSP is essentially the "mortar between the bricks" as it helps develop and support partnerships between federal, State, county, and local agencies. Other topics included:

• Physical site assessments, which are used to identify common vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure sites
• Grants available to local police departments for counterterrorism
• The Counter-Threat Watch Unit and the New Jersey Suspicious Activity Reporting System
• Evolving threats, including domestic extremists and foreign terrorist organizations

"Chief Talk" is an ongoing conversation about the latest issues and trends in law enforcement.

On October 8, the U.S. Department of Justice charged Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, an Afghanistan citizen residing in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with conspiring to conduct an election day attack targeting large crowds on behalf of ISIS. Officials said Tawhedi worked to resettle family members overseas, acquire AK-47 assault rifles and ammunition, and plot the November 5 terrorist attack. Tawhedi and a juvenile co-conspirator liquidated his family's assets and property, ultimately leading the FBI to further investigate Tawhedi. An FBI search of Tawhedi's phone found communication with an individual he believed was associated with ISIS who facilitated recruitment, training, and indoctrination of individuals who expressed interest in participating in terrorist activity. A July 20 video of Tawhedi shows him reading information on the rewards of martyrdom in the afterlife to two children. His iCloud and Google account showed he accessed, viewed, and saved ISIS propaganda, participated in pro-ISIS Telegram groups, and contributed to a charity that funnels money to ISIS.

Analyst Comment: Although ISIS is a low threat to New Jersey, Tawhedi's arrest demonstrates how the group still inspires supporters to commit violence on its behalf. Over the last five years, 37 percent of homegrown violent extremist attacks and plots occurred in New Jersey and its surrounding states, further highlighting the sustained threat to this region. Tawhedi's arrest also spotlights how the upcoming 2024 Presidential Election is a potential target for bad actors and affirms the need for vigilance concerning both the State's election infrastructure and its participants in the democratic process.

As the widespread implementation of multifactor authentication (MFA) becomes prevalent, there is a growing surge in attempts to bypass, breach, and hijack its security measures, according to the New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell (NJCCIC). Threat actors have increasingly utilized session hijacking in attempts to bypass MFA checkpoints. In this attack, threat actors steal session cookies to take over a live user session. They import these harvested session cookies into their browser to resume an active session, even without the username and password or passing through MFA checkpoints. For more information, view NJCCIC's "Latest Alerts and Advisories."