Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab: Be confident our state’s elections are secure

As the 2022 elections approach, Kansans can be confident that robust measures are in place to ensure that the elections across our state are safe and secure.

In 2017, elections were designated critical infrastructure by presidential executive order. This designation means that elections are vital to the nation, and any election interference could have a debilitating effect on our country. As the first Kansas Secretary of State to have top-secret security clearance, I routinely receive classified intelligence briefings on the ever-evolving threats to our election system at the Kansas Intelligence Fusion Center — a joint endeavor by the Kansas Attorney General’s Office and the Kansas Adjutant General’s Department.

Election security, like cybersecurity, is always changing and requires monitoring and updating of laws and processes to keep our elections secure. Earlier this year, the Kansas Legislature approved House Bill 2138, which was signed into law. This bill is one of the most significant election reform bills to be passed in recent Kansas history and includes the following measures that I proposed as part of my legislative agenda.

First, it prohibits Kansas counties from using voting equipment that has the capability of being connected to the internet. Second, the bill expands post-election audits and adds a new audit of election procedures. Third, it helps to ensure the accuracy of voter rolls by providing an additional method to identify and remove voters who no longer reside at their registered address. Other measures in the bill require all paper ballots to include a unique watermark and standardizes ballot chain-of-custody procedures. This bill strengthens state election laws and improves the robust election security processes Kansas already has in place without changing the experience for you, the voter.

To improve election processes, my office is partnering with former Johnson County Election Commissioner Connie Schmidt to launch a certified election training program required for all Kansas county election officials. This program will help analyze election office procedures, improve election administration uniformity across counties, provide training to implement new policies and prepare a training course to receive certification. Connie is nationally recognized for her experience and understanding of election administration, and I am grateful that she has agreed to share her knowledge and serve our state in this capacity.

Due in part to the rigorous election security measures in place and our continued efforts to update election laws, Kansas is a nationally recognized leader in election integrity. Kansas is one of the few states that requires: voter ID when voting in person or when requesting an advance by mail ballot, public testing and certification of all voting systems, all voting machines to produce a voter-verified paper ballot, signature verification on all advance by mail ballot applications and all advance by mail ballots, and post-election audits following every election. Under my administration, Kansas counties have conducted more than 300 post-election audits. Every county has passed its audit and every legal ballot has been accounted for. These election security measures are critical to ensuring it is easy to vote but hard to cheat.

I encourage voters with questions about election security to visit with their county election official or participate in the election process by serving as a poll worker. This is a great opportunity to be on the front lines of our election system.

Kansans can be assured these robust safeguards ensure the integrity and security of every vote. I encourage you to participate in the Aug. 2 and Nov. 8 elections and exercise your constitutional right to vote.

This story was originally published May 30, 2022 at 5:00 AM.