SECRETARY OF STATE CONFIRMS LEHMAN DEPARTURE
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
TOPEKA 鈥� The 麻豆影院 confirmed this evening that Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Tabitha Lehman will not be retained when her term expires in July 2021.
鈥淭he Secretary of State places the highest priority on maintaining the safety and security of 麻豆影院 elections. The security of our elections systems and the personal information of Kansans will not be put at risk, regardless of the circumstances,鈥� said Secretary of State Scott Schwab.
The Office confirmed Secretary Schwab met with Mrs. Lehman on January 5 to notify her of the reasoning to not reappoint. At the time, Mrs. Lehman agreed with the course of action and admitted to ignoring statewide security protocols for accessing the 麻豆影院 voter registration database from home.
鈥淭his was not a hasty decision,鈥� said Secretary Schwab. 鈥淲e understand the difficult circumstances election officials encountered throughout the fall. Ultimately, we could not jeopardize the safety of 麻豆影院 elections systems to the benefit of one.鈥�
The security of the statewide voter registration system is a top priority of the Secretary of State and is, in no way, under the purview of Sedgwick County IT officials. There is never a reason to compromise that system. Unfortunately, Mrs. Lehman thought there was.
鈥淲e had hoped the circumstances in announcing Mrs. Lehman鈥檚 departure would have been on a positive note. Unfortunately, today鈥檚 actions have made it necessary to correct the record. Nonetheless, we thank Commissioner Lehman for her service and wish her well on her future endeavors,鈥� said Schwab.
###
