Arizona secretary of state overstepped his authority on elections manual, judge rules

Associated Press/Report for America

PHOENIX (AP) — A Maricopa County judge’s decision has invalidated a provision of Arizona’s elections manual that said the secretary of state must canvass election results even if a county has not certified its ballots. Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney ruled that Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes exceeded his authority. Fontes had created the rule in the 2023 Elections Procedures Manual. The rule required the statewide certification of elections results to move forward even if the vote tallies from every county in the state have not been submitted. A spokesperson for the secretary of state’s office said they were evaluating the ruling.