Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes has submitted a revised 2023 EPM Election Procedures Manual that grants him increased, unauthorized authority and flagrantly circumvents the authority of the state legislature and state election laws that help prevent election fraud.

Fontes has shortened the standard public comment period from one month to two weeks demonstrating he has no respect for Arizonians. Remember, elections belong to the people.

One significant error highlighted in the manual is the Secretary's unlawful delay in enforcing a 2021 state law aimed at preventing voter fraud. This law requires county recorders to remove inactive voters from the early voter list after two consecutive election cycles of non-participation and failure to respond to notifications. This delay compromises the law's effectiveness and raises doubts about the Secretary's dedication to ensuring the integrity of the electoral system.

Other key corrections noted by State Senate President Warren Peterson submitted to the Secretary of State on the draft EPM include:

• The Secretary does not have the legal authority to regulate voter registration procedures or deadlines on his own accord.
• The Secretary does not have the legal authority to extend the early voting period for UOCAVA voters.
• The Secretary inappropriately decrees that counties do not have the authority to conduct hand count audits.
• The Secretary improperly perpetuates the use of ballot drop boxes, which have no basis in statute. Ballot drop boxes encourage illegal ballot harvesting and could present security risks.
• The Secretary ignores directives from a law passed this year requiring instructions of Arizona’s prohibition on illegal ballot harvesting to be provided to voters who are casting early ballots.
  
  Call on the Secretary of State to make immediate corrections to fully comply with Arizona state statutes and guidelines provided by the state legislature.