The Arizona Republican Party, along with the Republican National Committee and Yavapai County GOP, has filed a lawsuit against Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes. The legal action challenges Fontes’s new Election Procedures Manual (EPM), which the groups allege undermines election integrity.
AZGOP Chairwoman Gina Swoboda stated: “We will not tolerate Arizona Democrats’ and Adrian Fontes’ continued assault on Arizona’s election law and procedures. Adrian Fontes intentionally released this new Election Procedures Manual at the last second during the holidays because he knew that it would wither under scrutiny and invite legal challenges. Fontes and his allies are not legislators – they have no right to insert their preferred far-left policies into the guidance for Arizona elections. This is a blatant attempt to rewrite election law and hollow out basic safeguards that are designed to preserve election integrity in our state’s elections. That’s why the Arizona GOP and RNC and our fellow Republican partners are suing Fontes and we will win.”
RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel added: “Adrian Fontes’ Election Procedure Manual (EPM) is designed to undermine election integrity in Arizona, and Republicans are suing him to protect Arizona elections. When adopting the EPM, Fontes disregarded important legal procedures that exist to ensure public input and constrain his authority. The new EPM weakens safeguards against non-citizen voting during a time of unprecedented illegal immigration on Arizona’s southern border, unlawfully limits the ability to challenge early ballots, and violates numerous provisions of Arizona law meant to protect election integrity. The RNC and AZGOP have a long history of collaborating in the courtroom to protect Arizona elections from left-wing attacks – we are proud to hold Arizona Democrats accountable and look forward to seeing them in court.”
The lawsuit follows Secretary Fontes’s release of a draft EPM in September 2023. At that time, the RNC sent a letter outlining concerns about the draft manual and indicating plans for legal action if it was adopted as policy. After its adoption, these groups proceeded with litigation as previously indicated.
Fontes provided only 15 days for public review and comment on his draft EPM before finalizing it, according to party officials who argue this limited opportunity excluded many Arizonans from participating in the process.
The RNC reports it has been involved in 78 cases related to election integrity across 23 states during this cycle.
