By Jonathan Eberle |

Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen is calling on Secretary of State Adrian Fontes to revise the state’s draft of the 2025 Elections Procedures Manual (EPM), warning that lawmakers may pursue legal action if disputed provisions remain in place.

The Elections Procedures Manual, which outlines how elections are conducted in all 15 Arizona counties, must comply with state law and receive approval from both the governor and attorney general before taking effect. Petersen contends the current draft includes measures that exceed the secretary of state’s legal authority.

“The Elections Procedures Manual cannot be used as a vehicle to rewrite Arizona law,” Petersen said in a statement released Monday. “If these provisions are not corrected before submission, litigation will follow.”

Among the concerns identified by Petersen and Republican legislators are provisions they say weaken election safeguards. These include extending the time for non-citizens to “cure” invalid registrations, bypassing voter ID requirements on registration forms, limiting ballot challenges, and reducing oversight on ballot chain-of-custody procedures.

Lawmakers also raised objections to proposed rules that they argue diminish political parties’ role in selecting poll workers, relax standards for petition circulators, and require election officers to adhere to policies they believe infringe on constitutional rights.

Petersen said the secretary of state has a “pattern” of resisting statutory requirements, adding that changes to election rules should be made through the legislative process rather than administrative directives.

“Our election laws are passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor — not invented by one officeholder,” Petersen said.

Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.