95 Days In Office, Fontes Administration Continues Working Across The Aisle
PHOENIX – Approaching his first 100 days in office, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes continues to work across the aisle for the best interests of Arizonans.
The Secretary has been working closely with State Senator T.J. Shope on legislation that would remove election officials' identities from Arizona property records. Elections officials and elected leaders receive regular threats of bodily harm and intimidation. This situation has become so intense that today 10 out of 15 Arizona counties have lost a top election official—many of them citing a rising tide of threats as the reason to leave their jobs.
Additionally, Secretary Fontes has been a strong proponent of SB1324, a bipartisan piece of legislation concerning ballot imaging sponsored by former Secretary of State and current State Senator, Ken Bennett. An identical bill was introduced in the House as HB2560. The bill, which is similar to legislation passed in other states such as Colorado, would allow people to compare ballot images to a cast vote record and would help restore confidence for some voters in our elections.
Bipartisan elections task force meeting with Sen. Bennett.
Sec. Fontes and House Asst. Minority Leader Lupe Contreras.
The Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) is a multi-state partnership that is the only reliable, secure way for states to share voter registration data with each other. One of its key functions is ensuring lists are updated and old or bad addresses are removed. ERIC data also allows Arizona to identify people attempting to commit voter fraud. In recent months, ERIC has been subject to partisan attacks that prompted several states to exit the program. Together with officials from other participating states, the Secretary has been fighting to keep ERIC in place amidst disinformation campaigns to defame the partnership. The Secretary is working with County Recorders from both political parties to support ERIC. The Secretary is advocating for ERIC to ensure that the voter registration database used by counties is as accurate as possible.
Last month, at the hearing before the Republican-led Arizona House Subcommittee on Fiscal Accountability, the Secretary provided detailed information about his office's proposed budget. The Secretary directly made the case for adequate funding to support counties that run Arizona's elections, to protect the state's voting systems from attack by foreign and non-state actors, and to strengthen Arizona's economy. Subcommittee Chairwoman Selina Bliss notably thanked the Secretary for his presentation and acknowledged that he was the only elected department head to appear personally before the committee to explain their budget request.
Secretary Fontes has also tapped a bipartisan Business Advisory Council that will meet quarterly to provide feedback on efforts to modernize the office's business services. The team includes Sharon Harper, President and CEO of Plaza Companies, Shannon L. Scutari, President of Scutari & Co., John Graham, Chairman and CEO of Sunbelt Holdings, The Hon. Neil Giuliano former Mayor of Tempe, and many more.
Spokesman Matt Grodsky stated:
"Secretary Fontes ran on a commitment to represent all Arizonans. Within his first 100 days, the Secretary has prioritized bipartisan initiatives that would benefit the state's elections infrastructure, increase transparency, enhance business services, and keep elected officials safe."
The Fontes Administration began on January 2nd, 2023 when the Secretary was sworn into office. The Administration's 100-day mark will be April 12, 2023.
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