PHOENIX – On Day 98 of his Administration, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes unveiled ongoing efforts to beef up cybersecurity measures to secure our elections from attack from foreign and non-state groups.

Starting with his own office, Secretary Fontes directed that all Secretary of State employees conduct state business only on state-issued technology devices, including secured laptops and cellphones. Consistent with the Governor's Executive Order issued last week, he also prohibited the use of all personal social media applications, including TikTok, on state-issued devices.

This effort to secure critical systems in the Secretary of State's office is part of a larger push to help all 15 Arizona counties defend themselves from foreign and non-state cyber threats. To accomplish this goal, Secretary Fontes is asking the State Legislature for funding, and applied for multiple grants from our federal partners, to create an election Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) position to help keep counties' systems safe from bad actors.

"The threat to our elections posed by hostile states and criminals is real, which is why I have made it a priority in the first 100 days of my administration to bolster our cyber defenses—not only within the Secretary of State's office, but also in every one of Arizona's 15 counties," said Secretary Fontes. "Our county elections officials need the training and technology now to adequately respond to these threats in order to protect voters, as well as our critical elections infrastructure."

As part of his budget request to the State Legislature, Secretary Fontes is also asking for funding to study, identify and correct IT vulnerabilities, as well as funds to enhance existing security. Additionally, he is requesting physical security funding to allow for a publicly accessible elections office to assist voters in person on the 2nd Floor of the Executive Tower at the Arizona State Capitol.

Secretary Fontes' team has been working with the Arizona Department of Homeland Security to scan all of the Secretary of State's IT systems and implement a plan for enhanced maintenance as we prepare for the 2024 election cycle.

In 2017, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security designated election systems—including information and communications technology—as critical infrastructure, giving it priority for cybersecurity assistance and protections.

The Fontes Administration began on January 2nd, 2023 when the Secretary was sworn into office. The Administration's 100 day mark will be April 12, 2023.