PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. (rbs news now) — Pittsylvania County Registrar Shani Shorter and her poll workers are preparing for the November 5 general election.

Supporting them behind the scenes are three University of Virginia computer science graduates—Raheem Weldon, Nathan Bouzar, and Brian Jones—and Eli Clark, a senior at Longwood University and Pittsylvania County resident.

These interns, working through a federal grant, aim to bolster the security of the county’s election system, a news release said.

While they declined to discuss specifics, they confirmed their work involves cybersecurity but not the voting machines.

Shorter humorously compared their discretion to the movie “Fight Club:” “We know there is a Fight Club, but we don’t talk about Fight Club,” she said.

The interns shared their motivations for pursuing cybersecurity.

Clark, inspired by a class at the Pittsylvania County Career and Technical Center, says he enjoys building computers and networks.

Weldon, from Culpeper, aims to merge law and cybersecurity, particularly with the rise of artificial intelligence.

Bouzar, originally from Chicago, is driven by a desire to protect people’s privacy after witnessing the impact of compromised information on friends and family, the release said.

Shorter expressed gratitude for their expertise, noting their fresh perspectives are enhancing security as the county prepares for the 2024 election.

“They have been a tremendous help with the elections center… Their work is going a long way to enhance security as we prepare for the 2024 election,” she said.

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