by Ethan Faverino | Sep 24, 2025 | News
By Ethan Faverino |
Arizona House Speaker Steve Montenegro, alongside Senate President Warren Petersen and House Republicans, announced the filing of an amicus brief with the Arizona Supreme Court in the case Republican National Committee v. Fontes.
The brief urges the Court to require Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes to adhere to Arizona’s Administrative Procedures Act (APA) when drafting the Elections Procedures Manual (EPM), a critical set of rules governing the state’s election process.
The APA mandates a transparent public notice and comment period before new rules take effect, ensuring accountability and alignment with Arizona’s election statutes.
The brief, filed in support of the Republican National Committee, the Republican Party of Arizona, LLC, and the Yavapai County Republican Party, argues that the EPM must comply with the APA’s procedural requirements, as neither the APA nor the authorizing statute (A.R.S. § 16-452) explicitly exempts it.
“The integrity of Arizona’s elections is absolutely vital. House Republicans are committed to the rule of law and to ensuring that Secretary Fontes stays within the limits of his authority,” said Speaker Montenegro. “We already convinced a judge to strike down unlawful provisions in the 2023 EPM in our own lawsuit. We fully support this case, which asks only that Secretary Fontes follow long-standing notice and comment requirements when drafting the manual. Arizonans deserve accountability and transparency from every public officer, especially when it comes to election rules.”
The brief emphasizes that Arizona’s comprehensive election laws, which cover voter registration, early ballots, polling places, and vote tabulation, limit the Secretary of State’s authority to draft an EPM.
The APA’s notice and comment process serves as a check, promoting transparency and preventing deviations from legislative intent.
The brief cites the Court of Appeals’ ruling in Republican National Committee v. Fontes, which affirmed that the EPM is subject to the APA’s requirements due to clear statutory language.
The filing highlights two key benefits of APA compliance. First, it reinforces constitutional and statutory limits on the Secretary’s authority, preventing overreach. Second, the public comment process allows for early identification of legal or practical flaws in the EPM drafts, potentially reducing litigation and supporting public confidence in Arizona’s elections.
The brief also notes issues with the 2023 EPM, where provisions added without public input led to legal challenges.
The ongoing litigation, Petersen v. Fontes, further highlights the importance of APA compliance, as it challenges the 2023 EPM’s deviation from state law. The amicus brief, submitted by Montenegro and Petersen in their official capacities, reflects the Arizona Legislature’s commitment to upholding the rule of law and protecting the integrity of the state’s electoral process.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Jonathan Eberle | Jul 25, 2025 | News
By Jonathan Eberle |
The Republican Party of Arizona, led by Chairwoman Gina Swoboda, has filed an amicus brief in federal court defending the requirement for proof of citizenship in voter registration. The brief, submitted alongside the Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections PAC (RITE PAC), aims to bolster efforts to preserve what party leaders describe as “the integrity of American elections.”
The filing was made in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, where legal challenges have arisen over whether federal voter registration forms can mandate documentary proof of citizenship.
Citing the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), the Arizona GOP and its allies argue that the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) has the legal authority to require applicants to provide citizenship documentation. The brief claims this interpretation aligns with Arizona’s longstanding election laws, which include similar provisions at the state level.
“Protecting election integrity is essential to preserving trust in our democratic process,” said Swoboda in a statement. “Arizona Republicans have long advocated for sensible measures that ensure accuracy in voter registration and protect our elections from fraud. This brief underscores our continued commitment to transparent, fair, and secure elections.”
The brief also defends a Trump-era executive order that directed public assistance agencies to ask applicants about their citizenship status before offering a voter registration form. According to the filing, this directive is not only legal but necessary to uphold the original intent of Congress in limiting voter registration to U.S. citizens.
Supporters of the measure argue that such rules are a common-sense way to protect elections from outside interference or administrative error. While the court has not yet ruled on the underlying case, the Arizona GOP’s legal intervention signals a broader Republican strategy to champion election security measures heading into the 2026 midterms.
The Republican Party of Arizona has remained vocal in national conversations around election reform, frequently advocating for voter ID laws, voter roll maintenance, and what they consider safeguards against fraud. With this latest legal move, the party is reaffirming its position at the forefront of what it views as a critical issue.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Jun 6, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
The Arizona Republican Party (Arizona GOP) joined President Donald Trump in the legal battle to require proof of citizenship to vote.
Chairwoman Gina Swoboda announced the Arizona GOP’s involvement on Wednesday. The state party filed an amicus brief with the Massachusetts District Court last week.
“The American people expect secure elections, not open invitations to fraud,” said Swoboda. “Arizona has led the nation with proof-of-citizenship laws for two decades, and we stand firmly behind President Trump’s efforts to protect the ballot. This is about safeguarding every legal vote — and stopping those who want to dilute it.”
Trump issued Executive Order 14248, “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” in March. Trump’s order directed the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to require within its national mail voter registration form documentary proof of citizenship as well as require state or local officials to record that applicants presented documentary proof of citizenship.
Per the president’s executive order, proper documentary proof of citizenship would only include U.S. passports, identification documents compliant with the requirements of the REAL ID Act of 2005, official military ID cards indicating an applicant is a U.S. citizen, or a valid federal or state government-issued photo ID indicating the applicant is a U.S. citizen or if the ID is otherwise accompanied by proof of citizenship.
The president also directed the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Government Efficiency to review the voter rolls and records of each state to verify citizenship and immigration status. Trump also directed each federal voter registration executive department or agency head to assess citizenship prior to providing federal voter registration forms to enrollees of public assistance programs.
Trump’s order also put an end to the acceptance of tardy ballots — the president restricted the reception of absentee and mail-in ballots to the Election Day deadline.
States who refuse to comply with the executive order would cease to receive federal funding.
Several left-wing organizations filed suit against the Trump administration in April to stop the order: the Brennan Center, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ACLU of D.C., Asian Americans Advancing Justice, LatinoJustice, and Legal Defense Fund. These organizations filed on behalf of League of Women Voters of the United States, the League of Women Voters of Arizona, League of Women Voters Education Fund, Hispanic Federation, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote, and OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates.
That same month, a federal court issued a ruling temporarily blocking the executive order.
The Arizona GOP amicus brief argued the EAC maintains statutory authority to require documentary proof of citizenship in voter registration, and that the executive order merely enforced existing laws rather than creating new ones.
While the Arizona GOP has issued its support of the president’s election policy, Attorney General Kris Mayes and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes have been fighting against it. Mayes and Fontes joined a 19-state coalition to sue Trump over that executive order.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Apr 30, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
The Arizona Republican Party’s former treasurer and GOP candidate for the 2026 state treasurer’s race warned lawmakers against Governor Hobbs’ nominee for the Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions (DIFI).
In a letter to Arizona state senators, state treasurer candidate Elijah Norton said that Hobbs’ DIFI nominee, Barbara Richardson, not only displayed troubling behavior during her two Director Nominations (DINO) committee hearings but had a poor performance record as director of DIFI. Norton owns multiple insurance and insurance-related businesses regulated by DIFI — some of which he says have been targeted by Richardson in the past.
Norton alleged that Richardson retaliated against him for testifying before DINO against her by asking the agency she formerly led — the Nevada Department of Insurance (NDI) — to investigate him. Norton said that one week after his DINO testimony, his company received an email from NDI demanding an National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) biographical affidavit.
“I believe that Ms. Richardson contacted a mid-level sympathetic bureaucrat in her old office and asked them to do this in retaliation for the well-documented part I played in bringing several issues to light that resulted in her failing the DINO confirmation vote,” said Norton.
Norton further attested that one day after he went public to Arizona lawmakers and political leaders about the NDI request he believed was prompted by Richardson, NDI called him to retract their request and ask instead for his Social Security number — information which NDI has had on file for over a decade, per Norton.
“The person on the phone sounded very nervous, and it appeared to me they were trying to ‘cover their tracks,’” said Norton.
According to Norton, this retaliation wasn’t new to him — or others. Norton also alleged Richardson targeted not only him but Barry Goldwater Jr. (son of late Senator Barry Goldwater) in the past with “regulatory retaliation.” According to Norton, Richardson banned him from calling the NDI while she was the Nevada Insurance Commissioner because he challenged a certain regulation. Goldwater Jr. allegedly faced similar problems after he voiced his opposition to Richardson to Arizona Senate leadership.
“[I] pushed back on a ridiculous minor change on a form that was going to cost my company over $10,000 and over 100 hours of time due to one of her unreasonable bureaucrats wanting me to underline one immaterial sentence — that would require me resubmitting the form to all of the various states. The requested change wasn’t even contained in the statute, rather the bureaucrat relied on the ‘promulgation clause’ (resembling the way she abused SERFF in Arizona),” stated Norton. “She retaliated by sending me a letter saying I was ‘banned’ from calling the Nevada DOI (despite paying them over $1,000 per year in regulatory fees), simply because I pushed back against an unreasonable regulation – violating my constitutional rights. This is the only time in my entire career this has occurred before and since.”
Norton also alleged Nevada lost its NAIC accreditation under Richardson, but available records reflect the state maintained its accreditation.
Norton also revisited key points of concern raised by Republican lawmakers over Richardson’s time as DIFI director during the first DINO hearing last month. Hobbs appointed Richardson to the DIFI position in March 2023.
In the first DINO hearing, Richardson was questioned about her service as chairwoman to a NAIC committee which considered variable insurance pricing based on race. The committee dissolved a day before her first DINO hearing last month.
That first hearing also revealed that, under Richardson’s directorship, System for Electronic Rate and Form Filing (SERFF) abuse occurred, significant increases to licensing times piled on, and services rendered decreased continually — of note, DIFI was found to have restricted its licensing hotline to voicemail only at certain times under Richardson’s tenure.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Feb 16, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
The Arizona legislature has passed the combined SB 1011 / HB 2703, sending the bill to the Governor’s desk. SB 1011 and HB 2703 would streamline the state’s election day processes to dramatically speed up election results and bring frustrated voters same-day returns.
To achieve the desired result of a speedier and more precise election outcome, the bills cut off all ballot drop-offs at collection locations to the Friday prior to election day and require voters in Arizona’s most populous counties to confirm their address every election cycle to receive a ballot by mail. For more sparsely populated counties, this would be every four years.
Scot Mussi, President of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, celebrated the passage of the bill saying, “After one too many Election Nights (and weeks) of delayed results, Arizona legislators have done the right thing, crafting a bill that gives our state same-day results.”
He added, “Voters are exhausted of watching this slow-motion train wreck every November. Other states have same-day election results, and it is high time that Arizona enters the 21st Century in this regard. We call on Governor Katie Hobbs to sign this carefully crafted and negotiated bill into law.”
Following the passage of the bill in the State Senate, President Warren Petersen told Fox10, “After the election, we heard from our constituents who were extremely frustrated after waiting days and days to find out who won the election. The first bill to hit the Governor’s desk is a bill that will give us election results the night of the election.”
In a post to X, the AZGOP hailed the passage of the bill and demanded that Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs sign the bill writing, “GREAT NEWS FOR ARIZONA! Both the Arizona House of Representatives and Senate have passed the bill that would give our voters SAME-DAY results in future elections. This is what the people of Arizona have asked for, and our legislators have delivered. Now, it’s up to @GovernorHobbs to listen to the voices of Arizonans who are tired of waiting days and days for the results of critical election races. Governor, leave your partisan politics outside your office and SIGN THE BILL!”
On Friday, the party account posted morning, afternoon and evening calling upon Hobbs to sign the bill and “Give Arizona same-day election results!”
As reported by Fox, Hobbs has voiced serious opposition to the bill, arguing that it makes it harder to vote by cutting off early drop-off and effectively shuttering the state’s Active Early Voting List. “Legislators are attempting to jam through a partisan bill that guts vote by mail and makes it harder to vote,” she claimed. “I offered common sense compromises to count votes faster, and they were rejected. I refuse to let extremists make it harder for Arizonans to vote.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
