Adrian Fontes frustrated after ruling limits disability voting access in Pinal County

PHOENIX — Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes is voicing frustration after a Maricopa County judge struck down a provision of the state’s Elections Procedures Manual that would have expanded ballot access for voters with a disability in Pinal County.

Judge Scott Blaney ruled Friday that Fontes overstepped his authority by requiring counties to load every ballot style onto Accessible Voting Devices (AVDs) and count provisional ballots cast by disabled voters at the wrong precinct.

In an interview Monday on KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show, Fontes said the rule simply reflected what most Arizona counties already do.

Adrian Fontes defends rule as matter of disability access

“If you are a disabled person and you go to a polling place in your county, you can cast a ballot on any of these devices,” Fontes said. “That isn’t just a matter of convenience, it’s a matter of access for these voters.”

Pinal County is the only Arizona county that still uses a strictly precinct-based voting model. Fontes said that creates unique hardships for disabled voters, who often face transportation challenges on top of mobility issues.

“A voter who might have a hard enough time in a wheelchair or whatever to get to a polling place, they should just be able to cast a regular ballot,” Fontes said. “But as it stands now in Pinal County, if you vote out of your precinct, which in every other county it’ll count, your ballot’s not going to count. And that’s not fair.”

Fontes disagreed with the judge’s decision but stopped short of saying whether his office would appeal.

“I’m not super happy about this,” he said. “We’re going to do everything we can to help fight for those voters too.”

Pinal County successfully argued that the rule was an end run around state law, which requires county Board of Supervisors approval before moving away from a precinct-based system.

The Pinal County Board has never approved vote centers.

Fontes pushed back on suggestions the dispute is partisan, noting that “deep red Yavapai County” was the first to adopt voting centers in 2012.

“This isn’t a red versus blue thing,” he said. “I think there are just some folks who, for policy reasons, want to exclude some voters, and I think it doesn’t make any sense.”

Pinal County celebrates ruling as ‘local control victory’

Pinal County officials hailed the ruling as a win for local authority over elections.

“This ruling is a win for the rule of law and for every voter who believes elections should be run lawfully, transparently and locally,” Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller said.

Miller framed the ruling as a broader stand against state overreach.

“Pinal County will not stand by while state officials exceed their authority and attempt to interfere with locally accountable elections,” he said. “We will continue defending election integrity, local control and the voters’ right to a process they can trust.”

Early voting for Arizona’s primary election begins on June 24.

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