PHOENIX – Yesterday, Secretary Fontes made the case to legislators for adequate funding to support counties that run Arizona's elections, to protect our voting systems from attack by foreign and non-state actors, and to strengthen our economy.

At the hearing before the Arizona House Subcommittee on Fiscal Accountability, the Secretary provided detailed information about his office's proposed budget.

The Secretary drew special attention to the Presidential Preference Election, with first early ballots mandated to be sent just 10 months from now. He also noted that 10 out of 15 Arizona counties have recently lost at least one top election official, making his office's request to bolster our critical election workforce and security infrastructure even more urgent.

"I am greatly appreciative of the bipartisan subcommittee's time and for their thorough questions," Secretary Fontes said after the hearing. "In my administration, the buck stops with me, so it was important that I appear personally to make the case for our budget."

At the conclusion of the presentation, Secretary Fontes and his staff took specific questions from committee members regarding budget requests. 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.

"The Fontes Administration will continue to work with legislators to fulfill our budgetary needs. The Arizona Secretary of State's Office has been systemically underfunded for decades and requires commonsense investments to properly serve Arizonans," said spokesman Paul Smith-Leonard, "Since taking office, the Administration has made fiscally responsible arrangements to save Arizona money while still maintaining quality service despite a lack of staffing and financial resources." he added.

Additionally, Secretary Fontes asked for enhanced funding to recruit and retain staff for his Business Services Division, which assists companies looking to make millions of dollars in job-creating investments in Arizona.

Secretary Fontes will continue to meet with legislators from both parties to discuss his office's budget priorities; however, he is not currently scheduled for any further budget hearings.

Watch the hearing here: https://www.azleg.gov/videoplayer/?eventID=2023031146