Iranian Hack Hits Arizona Elections—Kupper Demands Transparency and Security Plan

Arizona State Representative Nick Kupper is demanding swift action and full transparency after a cyberattack—believed to be carried out by Iranian hackers—targeted the Arizona Secretary of State’s candidate portal last month.

Yesterday, Kupper sent a formal letter to Secretary of State Adrian Fontes requesting a full in-person briefing for all state legislators. The briefing would detail how the June breach occurred, what data or systems may have been compromised, and what immediate steps are being taken to prevent further foreign intrusions into Arizona’s election infrastructure.

The attack, which altered candidate photos on the Secretary of State’s website with images of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, has drawn sharp concern from lawmakers and cybersecurity experts alike. Kupper emphasized the seriousness of the incident, calling it “a politically motivated act of cyberwarfare.”

“Arizona’s election systems should never be this easy a target for foreign adversaries,” Kupper said in a statement. “This wasn’t a prank — it was an intentional act of digital aggression. Every legislator has a responsibility to understand what happened and what’s being done to keep it from happening again.”

Kupper requested the Secretary of State’s Office conduct the briefing at the Arizona House of Representatives and make it available to both House and Senate members within the next two weeks.

While no sensitive voter data is believed to have been accessed or changed, the breach has reignited concerns about election security and the ability of state systems to withstand increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks from hostile foreign entities.

Rep. Nick Kupper is a Republican serving Arizona’s 25th Legislative District, which includes portions of Maricopa, Yuma, and La Paz Counties. He also serves as Vice Chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee.