Johnson County moves election worker data following software CEO’s arrest

Johnson County election workers check voters in for Aug. 2 primary.

Johnson County poll workers checking voters in during the August primary election. File photo.

Johnson County says it has transferred its election worker data to servers under the “exclusive control” of county government following an investigation into whether some personal information of county poll workers had been stolen or compromised.

  • The move comes as early voting for the Nov. 8 election began over the weekend in Johnson County.
  • The personal data in question involved only election workers and did not impact any voters’ information, county officials say.

The back story: The county’s decision to move election worker data under the county’s control, announced Friday, comes nearly three weeks after the arrest of Konnech Corporation’s CEO Eugene Yu on suspicion of stealing and selling personal identifying information of poll worker in Los Angeles County in California.

  • Konnech produces a software, PollChief, that’s used for managing and scheduling poll workers and is used in Los Angeles and other jurisdictions around the country.
  • Johnson County previously used PollChief for poll worker assignments and election office communications, county officials said.

Zooming out: The PollChief server was not connected to the county’s voting machines, the county said in a release, or “any vote tabulation, voter registration, financial or any county systems” — nor did the county utilize the full functionality of the software, which includes payroll.