Elections and Cybersecurity
The security of our election systems is a top priority for Arizona Election Officials. Learn about efforts the state has taken to protect the voting process.
The security of our election systems is a top priority for Arizona Election Officials. Learn about efforts the state has taken to protect the voting process.
The Help America Vote Act requires every state have a single voter registration list. The Arizona Secretary of State is responsible for overseeing the statewide voter registration system. Arizona launched a new voter registration system in early 2020, replacing an antiquated system. The following information is from the Secretary of State’s website on how they keep the voter registration system secured:
Arizona also follows voter registration list maintenance in accordance with federal and state laws. The State participates in the Electronic Registration Information Center to assist in maintaining the accuracy of the state’s voter registration rolls.
First and foremost, Arizona utilizes paper ballots. Regardless of how a person casts their ballot, whether it’s an early ballot, provisional ballot, regular ballot at the polls or using accessible voting equipment, there is always a paper trail that indicates the voter’s selections.
Second, Arizona law prohibits voting machines from being connected to the internet. All elections systems are air-gapped, which means they are never connected to the internet or to other networks.
Counties may only use election equipment that has been certified by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and the Secretary of State Equipment Certification Advisory Committee. Click here to see what equipment is currently being utilized.
Counties have been utilizing HAVA funds to purchase new equipment, increase cyber and physical security of their elections systems and increase security measures surrounding their facilities.
Elections officials have engaged in increased security awareness training, especially focused on cyber threats and incident responses. Arizona also participated in an election cybersecurity policy academy hosted by the National Governors Association.
Arizona election procedures have several checks and balances built into the system to continually monitor and verify election activities. This includes hand counts, post-election audits, chain of custody procedures and physical and cyber security measures.
For more information on election security protocols, please review the Elections Procedures Manual.