Arizona Sec. Adrian Fontes explains how Joe Biden’s withdrawal affects state elections

PHOENIX — Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said Monday he’s confident that President Joe Biden’s late withdrawal won’t create insurmountable issues for election officials in the state.

“There’s no question in my mind that we’ll be OK with that,” Fontes, a Democrat, told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News the day after Biden announced he was stepping aside, creating uncertainty atop the Democratic ticket.

He explained that November general election voters actually select electors, who then elect the candidate at the Electoral College.

“It’s a Byzantine sort of a thing. We’ve short-circuited all of this process over the years by simply saying, ‘This is the candidate, this is the candidate, and then, bam, you’ve got your president,'” he said. “That’s not really how it works when you really look at the rules.”

Arizona’s electors have to be named by Aug. 9, Fontes said.

“But the electors don’t have to know who their party has nominated by that time, and so we just got to set the table correctly,” he said.

How does Biden’s withdrawal affect Arizona convention delegates?

Fontes said the situation is similar for the Democratic National Convention, which is scheduled for Aug. 19-22 in Chicago. While Biden won Arizona’s Presidential Preference Election in March, the state’s delegates are no longer bound to the president, he said.

“I happen to be a delegate myself to my party’s convention,” he said. “And so we have no obligation at this stage of the game because the president has decided not to run.”

Biden announced Sunday that he is dropping his reelection bid. The president also endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic candidate against Donald Trump.

A growing number of Democrats had been calling for Biden to step aside amid concerns that the 81-year-old incumbent’s age had become too big a liability to overcome in November.

Fontes, Arizona’s second-highest-ranking elected Democratic official, behind only Gov. Katie Hobbs, said he admires Biden for stepping aside and thinks Harris is “perfectly capable of becoming the president.” However, he is steering clear of endorsements.

“I have said clearly I’m not going to endorse any candidate in a race that I have to certify, and that means all federal and state races,” he said. “And so while I’m not going to be endorsing anyone in this race, I certainly am going to stay focused on making sure every Arizonan’s vote counts and that all Arizonans have the access they need not just to register, but to submit their ballot and have their voice heard.”

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