Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes issued a call on Aug. 12 for $13.5 million of new cybersecurity funding to help modernize and protect the state’s election infrastructure following a recent attempted cyberattack on his office’s candidate portal.
Fontes made his appeal during a bipartisan closed-door briefing with state legislators, his office said.
The state official is requesting $10 million in immediate funding and $3.5 million in additional annual funding to ensure long-term cybersecurity preparedness.
Fontes emphasized the need for proactive investment before future threats compromise the election system’s integrity.
“Our defenses held this time – but we can’t rely on outdated systems to protect us forever,” Fontes warned. “We need to modernize our infrastructure now, not after something goes wrong.”
According to the official’s office, the recent attempted breach targeted the back end of Arizona’s candidate portal and is believed to be linked to an Iranian-affiliated threat actor. The system under attack was quickly isolated and secured, with no sensitive data accessed.
Critical election systems – including the Arizona Voter Information Database (AVID) and the Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) – were not affected and remain protected on separate, secure networks.
Fontes credited existing cybersecurity protocols and strong coordination with the Arizona Department of Homeland Security for preventing any damage. But he stressed that the incident underscored a growing need for updated tools, improved resilience, and continuous monitoring.
The proposed $10 million in initial funding would allow the state to begin modernizing legacy systems, improve data protection protocols, and enhance real-time threat detection capabilities.
The requested $3.5 million in recurring annual support would fund long-term cybersecurity operations, including system maintenance, staff training, and external threat monitoring.
“Cybersecurity isn’t a one-time cost – it’s an ongoing responsibility,” Fontes said. “We’re facing increasingly sophisticated threats, and we must match that with sustained vigilance and resources.”
“Cybersecurity is not a partisan issue – it’s about trust in our democracy,” he told lawmakers. “We have a duty to ensure our systems remain secure, modern, and resilient—now and for every election to come.”
