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County election officials ask for sustained cybersecurity and physical-security support
Summary
Rick Pfeiffo, representing Kansas county clerks and election officers, told the committee that election offices are small, often have limited IT staff, and need ongoing, predictable funding and technical assistance for cybersecurity, mail- and equipment-storage security, and staff safety. He said federal and state resources have helped (SBA loans,
Rick Pfeiffo, Harvey County Clerk and past president of the Kansas County Clerks and Election Officials Association, told the committee county election offices face layered security needs: cybersecurity for voter registration and electronic poll books, physical security for storage of election equipment, and concerns about poll-worker and staff safety.
Pfeiffo explained that county offices are small and rely on limited staff—often the county clerk wears multiple roles (elections, tax roll, payroll, IT)—and that many counties need ongoing technical assistance to prioritize alerts from federal threat-sharing (EI-ISAC) and to act on recommendations. He welcomed that the Kansas Information Security Office will continue EI-ISAC access for counties but asked for more support to translate alerts into actionable priorities. Pfeiffo also said federal grant funding previously used for physical upgrades (locks, cameras, ceiling repair, tracking tags) helped some counties but that predictable, earmarked funding for operations and security would be more useful than one-off grants.
On personnel safety, Pfeiffo said counties have not experienced a major wave of physical attacks but that the risk to election staff and poll workers is a rising concern; he asked for guidance and resources to protect staff without altering polling operations.
Ending: Pfeiffo asked the legislature to consider additional and recurring resources for county election security, both cyber and physical, and said he would stand for questions.
