Adrian Fontes, Alex Kolodin trade insults, split over mail-in voting in secretary of state debate

Personal attacks dominated Wednesday’s debate for Arizona secretary of state, the state’s top election official, but the sharpest policy split came over Proposition 144 and the future of voting by mail.

Republican state Rep. Alex Kolodin repeatedly called Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes the lawyer for the Sinaloa cartel, a reference to Fontes’ past work as a federal public defender.

“If you say Sinaloa cartel lawyer one more time, we’re going to have a personal problem, Mr. Kolodin, because you know that that’s a big fat lie, and you keep pushing it for the wrong reasons,” Fontes said. “That kind of baiting is unnecessary. It’s unprofessional.”

Adrian Fontes clashes with Prop. 144 author over mail voting

Kolodin sponsored Prop. 144, and the two candidates offered opposite views of what it would do.

The proposed constitutional amendment would require voters to show a government-issued ID every time they vote, including by mail, and would ban foreign money in Arizona elections.

Kolodin said it would also write the state’s requirement that voters prove citizenship into the Arizona Constitution.

“Prop 144 will make voting easier for all Arizonans, give us faster election results and ban foreign funding of our elections,” Kolodin said.

Fontes warned the measure would effectively end mail voting, which about 80% of Arizonans use. He pointed to bills Kolodin backed in 2023 that he said would have done the same.

“Convenience and access are actually the same thing. When you’re making it less convenient for voters, you’re reducing their access,” Fontes said.

The candidates also clashed over noncitizen voting.

A recent Maricopa County Attorney’s Office review found eight noncitizens, all in the country legally, who had voted. No decision on charges has been made.

Kolodin said even one illegal vote is too many. Fontes felt the review showed the problem is far smaller than critics claim.

Kolodin promised results on election night

Kolodin said he would make sure voting equipment is properly tested so it doesn’t break down.

“We’re going to have election results on election night. That’s what I’m going to deliver for Arizona voters,” Kolodin said.

Fontes called that promise misleading. He said the numbers released on election night are projections, not final counts, and that faster results require more money.

“You can have them fast, you can have them accurate, you can have them cheap, but you can’t have all three,” Fontes said.

In his closing statement, Kolodin made a pledge to voters: “That is my promise to you, Arizona, that with me as secretary of state, you will see our elections go from a national embarrassment to a national model.”

“This is a guy who’s willing to fight for himself, but he’s not willing to fight for you,” Fontes said in closing.

The general election is Nov. 3. Early voting starts Oct. 7, and the voter registration deadline is Oct. 5.

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