Arizona Republican lawmakers are urging Secretary of State Adrian Fontes to extend the deadline for public comment on the 2023 Election Procedure Manual.
State Representatives Steve Montenegro (R-Goodyear) and Michael Carbone (R-Buckeye) are calling on Fontes to extend the “extremely short” public comment period he set for the 2023 Elections Procedure Manual. Fontes released the manual draft on August 1st and set the deadline for August 15th, even though he is not required to produce it to Governor Katie Hobbs or Attorney General Kris Mayes until October 1st.
According to Montenegro, Fontes (pictured above) should give the public more than 15 days to review the extensive 259 Election Procedure Manual draft as it’s of extreme importance to ensure the integrity of election administration in the state.
“The Elections Procedures Manual is of paramount importance to ensuring the integrity and security of election administration in Arizona. Secretary Fontes should have given the public more than 15 days to review his extensive 259-page draft of the Elections Procedures Manual and submit comments. A longer comment period is particularly necessary and reasonable this year because Arizona has not had a legally compliant Elections Procedure Manual since 2019,” Montenegro said.
The Arizona Revised Statute 16-452 permits the Arizona Secretary of State to create an Elections Procedure Manual every odd year before the general election. The Elections Procedure Manual gives election officials across the state direction that is compatible with the law and statutes. Despite state law requiring the Secretary of State to update the Elections Procedure Manual every two years, the administration of Arizona’s 2022 elections used the 2019 Elections Procedure Manual.
According to Carbone, Fontes’ extremely short deadline is too restrictive.
“Requiring public comments to be submitted by August 15th is simply too restrictive and does not provide adequate time for interested stakeholders to review the draft 2023 EPM for compliance with state law. t is our understanding that several provisions have already been identified that appear to run afoul of state law,” Carbone said.
The lawmakers urge Fontes to extend the public comment deadline to at least September 1st to “give the public an adequate opportunity to review and provide input on the most important elections manual that will guide county officials in administering their duties in the 2024 elections.”
In order to keep both elected and non-elected elections officers transparent and accountable, representatives Montenegro and Carbone argue that Arizona shouldn’t permit the adoption of an illegal Elections Procedure Manual for use in the 2024 election. They also urge Arizona voters to participate in the process.
The Arizona Sun Times Reached out to Carbone, Montenegro, and Fontes for additional comment but did not receive a reply before press time.
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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star, The Star News Network, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “A.G. Adrian Fontes” by A.G. Adrian Fontes and “At the Polls” by Danny Howard CC2.0.
