More than two dozen municipal clerks from across Maine recently participated in a federal exercise to ensure election security.

It was the third year Maine took part in “Tabletop the Vote” where clerks must deal with hypothetical scenarios and “share practices around cyber and physical incident planning, preparedness, identification, response and recovery,” according to the National Association of Secretaries of State.

“Maine’s elections are very well run because we plan and prepare so extensively for them ahead of time,” Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said in a statement. “Election security is a priority for us. With our laws, procedures and trainings in place, Maine voters can be confident that our elections will remain safe, secure, accessible and accurate.”

The three-day event, organized by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors, is designed to ensure “security and resilience of our nation’s democratic processes” in advance of the 2023 and 2024 elections, the groups said in a press release.

“Today’s threat environment is increasingly dynamic and complex, and we continue working closely together,” they said in a joint statement. “Elections are run by thousands of dedicated state and local election officials across the country. It is because of the incredible work of so many that the American people can have confidence in the security of our nation’s elections.”

Twenty-eight municipal clerks from Maine participated in the exercise, along with staff from the Secretary of State’s office.