Montenegro Warns Fontes Of Illegality Of Proposed Election Procedure Manual Provisions

September 5, 2025 ADI Staff Reporter
montenegro
Arizona Speaker of the House Steve Montenegro

The controversy surrounding Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes continues, with Arizona House Speaker Steve Montenegro warning Fontes that several provisions in his draft 2025 Elections Procedures Manual (EPM) override state law and repeat overreaches already struck down by Arizona courts.

“Arizonans expect elections to be run according to the law, not rewritten to fit the Secretary of State’s partisan agenda,” said Montenegro. “Secretary Fontes’ draft manual again contradicts Arizona statutes, weakens safeguards against non-citizen voting, undermines legislative authority, and even pressures election officers to surrender their constitutional rights. Such abuses erode trust in our elections and will not stand.”

Montenegro has identified multiple provisions that he believes conflict with statute and court rulings, including:

  • Allowing non-citizens to “cure” defective registrations up to Election Day, even after a county recorder’s database shows non-citizen status.
  • Permitting voter registrations without required ID numbers or affirmations.
  • Barring challenges to early ballots based on lack of proof of citizenship.
  • Excusing incomplete petition circulator registrations already found illegal by the courts.
  • Weakening political parties’ statutory right to select poll workers.
  • Conditioning election officer certification on signing a “Code of Conduct” that extends beyond statute and infringes First Amendment rights.

    • Montenegro also urged revisions to sections that he says could compromise ballot chain of custody, restrict party observers from monitoring ballot handling, and delay responses to equipment failures on Election Day.

    “Arizona law is clear: the Legislature writes the rules for elections,” Montenegro added. “The Secretary of State does not get to invent new ones. If Fontes refuses to correct these unlawful provisions, the courts will.”

    The Elections Procedures Manual must be approved by both the Governor and the Attorney General before it can take effect.

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    6 Comments

    1. GOP needs an injunction here. No chance Hobbs, who won’t read it, or Krissy, who can’t read, will not give it a rubber stamp of approval. Is there a legitimate judge in Maricopa County?

    2. Fontes rebuked the courts and fixed the Maricopa County elections. Then hired by the radical Communists to do the same thing in Pima County/Tucson and now will do for the entire state.
      Elections should be abolished in Arizona. They just don’t matter. Arizona is Communist, liberal utopia.

    4. “ The Elections Procedures Manual must be approved by both the Governor and the Attorney General before it can take effect.” HAHAHA………. Arizona voters wake up!

    5. ‘The Elections Procedures Manual must be approved by both the Governor and the Attorney General before it can take effect.’

      We’re effed.

    6. Fontes is such a crook! Crooks do not change. He should *never* be allowed in any public office, especially when that office is stolen!
      I like Montenegro, but ‘warnings’ to a crook mean > nothing.

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