Arizona State Representative John Gillette has joined the chorus of elections experts and officials in condemning Secretary of State Adrian Fontes for taking unilateral action that they say is illegal and weakens Arizona’s election integrity.
Gillette, Chairman of the House Committee on Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections charges that the action by Fontes “threatens the lawful votes of citizens—especially those of men and women serving in uniform overseas—through a directive that removes county oversight from the voting process for deployed military personnel and overseas citizens.”
On August 6, 2025, over the objections of county recorders, Secretary Fontes ordered counties to abandon the secure, state-managed Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) ballot processing system and instead use a third-party platform controlled solely by his office.
Pinal County Recorder Sounds Alarm Over Fontes’ Change Of Military And Overseas Ballot Processing
At the time, Pinal County Recorder Dana Lewis sounded the alarm over the changes.
According to Lewis, these changes, designed to prevent new questions regarding the integrity of elections, are instead raising new ones, even as Arizona County Recorders and election officials continue working to restore public confidence in the election process.
Despite the fact that many County Recorders requested the move to be delayed, the Secretary of State’s Office has removed the Arizona Voter Information Database module from the process used to verify and receive Uniformed and Overseas Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) ballots—those cast by military, dependents, and overseas American voters.
Like others, Gillette argues that Fontes’ move illegally strips counties of direct oversight, breaks established chain-of-custody procedures, and creates a back-door avenue for ballots from individuals who have never resided in Arizona to be inserted into the state’s elections.
“UOCAVA exists to ensure that our deployed service members, their families, and Arizona residents living overseas can securely exercise their right to vote,” said Gillette. “It does not give voting rights to foreign nationals, illegal immigrants, or U.S. citizens with no prior Arizona residency. This directive is a reckless expansion of voting access beyond what the law allows.”
The change undermines the clear intent of federal law, circumvents the Arizona Election Procedures Manual—which requires a public process and legislative oversight before such changes—and risks improper use of federal funds designated for legitimate UOCAVA services. Removing counties from control also weakens ballot verification and tracking safeguards that protect against fraud.
Gillette believes thar Secretary Fontes’ “directive is part of a broader pattern by Democrats to erode voter eligibility safeguards. It is another in a series of attempts by state Democrats to weaken registration verification, centralize election authority in the Secretary of State’s office, bypass county recorders, and eliminate database cross-checks with state agencies like MVD and AHCCCS. Republicans in the Legislature blocked those bills earlier this year, but Secretary Fontes is now attempting to impose the same policies by executive action.”
“This is exactly the kind of partisan maneuver we fought to stop in the Legislature,” Gillette said in a press release. “The Secretary of State is attempting to change election law without the consent of the people’s representatives, and in the process, he’s jeopardizing the integrity of our elections.”
Gillette says he will be calling on the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to investigate the directive for potential violations of UOCAVA and the Voting Rights Act. Additionally, he is urging Congress and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to withhold federal UOCAVA funding until Arizona is in compliance, and demanding an immediate reversal of Secretary Fontes’ August 6 order to restore county control over UOCAVA ballot processing.
“Our elections must protect lawful voters—especially our men and women serving overseas,” Gillette said. “They deserve a voting system that is secure, transparent, and faithful to the law, not one manipulated for partisan gain.”
So DO SOMETHING IT!!!! Where are the lawsuits? GOP, get on it!!!
Exactly!!! Another article about his suspected wrongdoing and just watch, not one thing will come of it!
Sickening how feckless these politicians are. They keep finding all this dirt and NOTHING ever comes of it!
Republicans need to step up and do something before it’s too late!
Fontes doesn’t have Richer to rig Maricopa County so he has to take unconstitutional, unilateral action to keep Arizona “blue”.
Fontes sole purpose is to rig elections, it’s the only source of power for him and his fascist colleagues.