Alexander Kolodin, a House Representative from Arizona, has publicly criticized Secretary of State Adrian Fontes for not taking responsibility for foreign cyberattacks on the state’s election systems. Kolodin’s statement was made on the social media platform X.
“AZ elections systems were attacked by foreign cybersecurity hackers,” said Kolodin, State Representative from Arizona. “It happened on Democrat Adrian Fontes’ watch. Does he take responsibility & say: “I failed. I’m sorry. I’ll do better? He tries to blame everyone EXCEPT himself.”
A series of cyberattacks targeting Arizona’s election systems has prompted increased state security measures and public reassurances from Secretary of State Adrian Fontes. According to the Associated Press, Fontes emphasized that Arizona’s voting infrastructure is protected by advanced cyber defenses and partnerships with agencies such as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to safeguard the 2024 elections.
The Arizona Department of Homeland Security’s 2023 annual report indicates that there were at least 22 attempted cyber intrusions on the state’s election systems last year. All attempts were thwarted, leading to enhanced regular penetration testing and real-time monitoring to defend against evolving cyber threats.
The Center for Internet Security reports that from 2021 to 2023, Arizona averaged 35 reported election-related cyberattack attempts annually, slightly above the national median of 28 per state. However, like most states, Arizona experienced no confirmed breaches, highlighting that while it faces higher-than-average threats, these are largely unsuccessful.
Ballotpedia provides context on Alexander Kolodin as a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives for District 3. First elected in 2022, he is known for his legal work on election integrity lawsuits and his leadership in committees focused on government and election security issues, including advocating for stronger cyber protections.
