The Arizona Republican Party and the Arizona Free Enterprise Club have initiated a lawsuit [1] against Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes. This legal action, announced this week, stems from allegations that Fontes has breached several aspects of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). Their post on X confirms the lawsuit and gives more detail:
🚨 BREAKING: @AZGOP [2], @azfec [3] has filed a major lawsuit against Democrat Secretary of State Adrian Fontes for critical voter roll issues!
We won't stop fighting for integrity, transparency, and accountability in Arizona elections! 💥🗳️ pic.twitter.com/3G8Tc379xK [4]
— Republican Party of Arizona (@AZGOP) June 4, 2024 [5]
“We will not tolerate Arizona Democrats’ and Adrian Fontes’ continued assault on Arizona’s election law and procedures. Adrian Fontes intentionally released this new Election Procedures Manual at the last second during the holidays because he knew that it would wither under scrutiny and invite legal challenges. Fontes and his allies are not legislators – they have no right to insert their preferred far-left policies into the guidance for Arizona elections. This is a blatant attempt to rewrite election law and hollow out basic safeguards that are designed to preserve election integrity in our state’s elections. That’s why the Arizona GOP and RNC and our fellow Republican partners are suing Fontes and we will win.” Swoboda states in the press release.
Investigations into the state’s voter rolls revealed that Arizona allegedly has between 500,000 and 1.27 million invalid registrations. These include registrations of deceased individuals and those who have moved out of state. Furthermore, some counties have reported “outrageous voter registration rates,” with voter lists exceeding 100% of the eligible population. Arizona Representative John Gillette’s statment on X shows the struggle with Hobb’s earlier vetoes of border policy:
BREAKING: Arizona GOP Files BOMBSHELL Lawsuit Against Corrupt Secretary of State After Discovering from 500,000 to 1.3 Million ILLEGAL Voters on State's Voter Rolls
My Bill vetoed by Hobbs would have removed these unqualified registrants. I gave proof to the dems to confirm……— Rep. John Gillette AZ House LD30 (@AzRepGillette) June 5, 2024 [6]
In response, the Arizona GOP and the Arizona Free Enterprise Club are calling for an immediate overhaul of the voter list maintenance program to comply with NVRA requirements. A statement on the Arizona Republican Party’s X account emphasized the need for urgent action.
As part of their lawsuit, both groups are seeking judicial intervention to clean up the voter rolls and establish a robust system to prevent future discrepancies. They request the court to declare that Fontes has violated the NVRA, mandate the implementation of effective voter roll maintenance programs, and introduce an injunction to ensure compliance.