The Oversight Project, an organization that works to expose and root out corruption in government, has filed a lawsuit in Maricopa County Superior Court to enjoin certain provisions of the 2025 Arizona Elections Procedures Manual, alleging that it allows arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement by poll workers.
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, with the approval of Attorney General Kris Mayes and Governor Katie Hobbs, published the 2025 Election Procedure Manual (EPM) to govern all Arizona elections through 2027. The Elections Procedure Manual carries the force of law and violations are punishable by up to four months’ imprisonment.
The Oversight Project, representing the Pima County Republican Party, argues the EPM provides among other things, the fact that election officials may remove voters or call law enforcement for such actions “wearing clothing, uniforms or official-looking apparel intended to deter, intimidate, or harass voters,” “aggressive behavior,” “raising repeated frivolous voter challenges,” and electioneering that is “audible” inside a voting location.
Project attorneys say that rather than provide clear, workable standards, the EPM gives election workers carte blanche to engage in arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement that disenfranchises voters and later justify it as necessary to “preserve order” at the polling place.
The Secretary of State and Attorney General were enjoined from enforcing similar provisions in the 2023 EPM by the Ninth Circuit last year. Project attorneys say that Mayes’ and Fontes’ “repeated efforts to disenfranchise some voters under the guise of preventing voter intimidation raise serious questions about voting rights and freedom of speech in Arizona.”
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“The Arizona EPM encourages arbitrary enforcement that results in politically motivated disenfranchisement. The Oversight Project is always ready to help conservative leaders like Chairwoman Winn challenge government weaponization, especially when it involves such fundamental rights as freedom of speech and voting. The Secretary of State and Attorney General should disavow the challenged provisions and work with Arizona leaders to draft a fair manual that follows Arizona law,” stated Oversight Project Director of State Litigation Neal Cornett.
“Every Arizona voter deserves clear, consistent rules at the polling place that protect their right to vote free from arbitrary enforcement. Vague standards invite abuse, and when election workers are given unchecked discretion to remove voters or call law enforcement based on unclear or unspecified conduct, no voter or vote is truly safe. This lawsuit is about ensuring that the rules governing our elections are written plainly, applied fairly, and consistent with Arizona law, regardless of party,” stated Pima County Republican Chairwoman Kathleen Winn.
@RealPimaGOP nice work! This is how it is done!https://t.co/Pb6VrfjEq0
— Republican Party of Arizona (@AZGOP) May 12, 2026
It isthe voters’ fault! They supported and elected these stuges. And they do not stand up now demanding their rexignations.
may they both be fit for ORANGE JUMPSUITS
Is anyone really surprised an election manual has been rigged with Fontes involved?