{"id":2174453,"date":"2024-02-12T17:16:02","date_gmt":"2024-02-12T22:16:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawsuit-both-the-how-and-the-what-of-democrat-election-chiefs-rulebook-violate-arizona-law\/"},"modified":"2024-02-12T17:23:16","modified_gmt":"2024-02-12T22:23:16","slug":"lawsuit-both-the-how-and-the-what-of-democrat-election-chiefs-rulebook-violate-arizona-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawsuit-both-the-how-and-the-what-of-democrat-election-chiefs-rulebook-violate-arizona-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawsuit: Democrat Election Chief&#8217;s Rulebook Violates Arizona Law"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flawsuit-both-the-how-and-the-what-of-democrat-election-chiefs-rulebook-violate-arizona-law%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2174453&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div>\n<div>\n<figure>\n    <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Arizona Republicans Sue Democrat Secretary of State for Violating \u2064Election Procedures<\/h2>\n<p>Arizona\u2019s Democrat secretary of\u2062 state unlawfully bypassed the rulemaking process when developing the state\u2019s election procedures, several of which are illegal, a lawsuit filed on Friday claims.<\/p>\n<p>Brought by the Republican National Committee (RNC), Republican Party of Arizona, and\u200b Yavapai County GOP, the <a href=\"https:\/\/prod-static.gop.com\/media\/documents\/2023_EPM_-_Verified_Complaint_FINAL_1707513327.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">suit<\/a> alleges \u200bthat Democrat Secretary\u2062 of State Adrian Fontes violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) by circumventing the proper rulemaking \u2064process for Arizona\u2019s Election Procedures Manual (EPM), which provides procedural guidance for election officials relating to things like mail ballots and voter registration. State law requires the manual to be issued by the secretary of state on Dec. 31 of every\u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-dems-say-holding-an-election-for-loudoun-school-board-this-year-would-subvert-democracy\/\" title=\"Virginia Dems Say Holding An Election For Loudoun School Board This Year Would \u2018Subvert Democracy\u2019\">odd-numbered year<\/a> and reviewed by Arizona\u2019s governor \u2064and attorney general before finalization.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cConsidering the import of this fundamental document, one would expect maximum notice and\u200c public participation in its drafting and adoption, \u2062and for the Secretary to hew closely to the authority the Arizona Legislature delegated to his office,\u201d the lawsuit reads. \u201cHe did neither in finalizing the 2023 version of the \u200dEPM.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>According to plaintiffs, Fontes skipped numerous steps mandated by the APA when finalizing the 2023 manual. While the\u2063 APA requires government agencies \u2063to allow \u201cat least 30 days for\u200c public comment on the proposed\u200c rules after their publication in draft form,\u201d Fontes allegedly\u2064 only permitted 15 days of public \u2064comment on \u200chis initial 259-page draft of the manual, which his office published at the end of July.<\/p>\n<p>Nearly two months \u200blater, on Sept. 30, Fontes released a\u2062 253-page updated draft of the 2023 EPM \u201cwithout allowing additional public comment,\u201d despite plaintiffs\u2019 objections, \u200dthe suit says. The revised manual was sent\u2064 to Arizona\u2019s Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs and\u2063 Attorney General Kris\u2064 Mayes that same day. On Dec. 30, Fontes issued the \u201cfinal,\u201d 268-page version of the 2023 EPM, which plaintiffs say included \u201cmultiple provisions that were not present in the July or September \u2062drafts\u201d and were not provided to\u200d the public for feedback.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThe Secretary skipped almost every step in the notice-and-comment rulemaking process under the APA,\u201d the lawsuit\u2062 reads. \u201cHe did not provide notice of the proposed rulemaking \u200din the statutorily prescribed format or\u2063 publish it in the register \u2026 he did not provide \u2064the public 30 days comment on the proposed rulemaking after publication \u2026 he did\u2064 not hold an oral proceeding on the proposed rule, nor did he \u200cgive the public an opportunity to request one \u2063\u2026 and he did not\u200c maintain an official rulemaking record.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>[RELATED:[RELATED:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/02\/09\/arizona-secretary-of-state-shrugs-off-election-problems-as-lawsuit-highlights-2022-failures\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Arizona Secretary Of State Shrugs Off Election Problems\u2064 As\u2064 Lawsuit Highlights 2022 Failures<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Plaintiffs also contend\u2064 that, in addition\u2062 to flaunting the APA\u2019s rulemaking guidance, several of the rules Fontes included in the \u200dfinalized 2023 EPM violate\u200b Arizona law. One such\u200b rule prohibits \u200ccounty recorders from canceling the voter\u200c registration of individuals who \u2064\u201canswered a juror questionnaire saying he or she\u200d is a non-citizen\u2064 where that voter has provided [documentary proof of citizenship] in the past (or\u200b been\u2064 registered to vote since 2004).\u201d Under state law, however, county recorders are required to \u201csend such a voter notice that \u2062their registration will be cancelled if they \u200bdo not submit evidence of citizenship in response \u200bto that notice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The suit also \u2063alleges the 2023 EPM\u2019s\u2062 guidance allowing federal-only voters\u200c without documentary proof of citizenship \u2064to vote in presidential \u2062elections and vote\u2062 by mail violates \u2063Arizona law, as does the provision excusing \u200dcounty recorders from checking government databases to identify registered \u200bnoncitizens.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWe\u200c will not tolerate Arizona Democrats\u2019 and Adrian \u200bFontes\u2019 continued assault on Arizona\u2019s election law and procedures,\u201d Arizona GOP chair Gina\u2063 Swoboda said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/gop.com\/press-release\/rnc-azgop-file-major-arizona-election-integrity-lawsuit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement<\/a>. \u201cFontes and his allies are not legislators \u2013 they\u2064 have no\u200c right to insert their preferred far-left policies into the guidance for Arizona elections. This\u2064 is a blatant attempt to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-democrats-to-push-voting-rights-bills-by-trying-to-break-filibuster\/\" title=\"Senate Democrats to Push Voting Rights Bills by Trying to Break Filibuster\">rewrite election law<\/a> and hollow out basic \u200csafeguards that are designed to preserve election integrity in our state\u2019s elections.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Plaintiffs are requesting \u200dthe court either declare the entire EPM invalid due to Fontes\u2019 rulemaking\u2064 errors, or \u200balternatively declare the specific aforementioned rules illegal. If the court declares the former, plaintiffs seek a preliminary and permanent injunction prohibiting Fontes from \u201cimplementing or enforcing\u201d the 2023 EPM \u201cuntil and unless he complies with the rulemaking \u2062process outlined in\u201d state law. If the latter, plaintiffs request an \u2062injunction barring Fontes from \u201cenforcing or implementing\u201d the problematic rules in question.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University \u200cof Mary Washington. \u200dHe previously served as a state content writer for Convention \u2062of States\u2063 Action and \u200dhis work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics,\u2063 RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow\u2062 him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What potential implications could the outcome of \u200dthis lawsuit have on future elections in Arizona \u2062and beyond, particularly in\u2062 terms of the authority \u200dof\u200d election officials\u200d to bypass established rules and procedures<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u200bNot provide documentary proof of citizenship within 30 days,\u201d according to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2062suit further alleges that Fontes unlawfully expanded the use\u200b of emergency voting centers (EVCs) without approval from the Governor\u2019s\u200d regulatory review council, as \u200brequired by\u200b state\u2062 law. The EVCs\u200c were introduced \u200cas a\u2064 response to the COVID-19 pandemic but were \u200donly supposed to\u2064 be used during declared emergencies. According to the plaintiffs, Fontes included provisions in \u2064the 2023 EPM that allowed for the use of EVCs in non-emergency situations, \u200bthus exceeding his authority \u200dand <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sf-city-attorney-calls-out-teachers-unions-vaccine-demands-unlawful\/\" title=\"SF City Attorney Calls Out Teachers\u2019 Union\u2019s Vaccine Demands: \u2018Unlawful\u2019\">violating state law<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit asks the \u200dcourt to declare\u200b Fontes\u2019 actions unlawful and to invalidate the 2023 Election Procedures Manual. It also seeks\u200b injunctive relief to\u2063 prevent \u2064further implementation of the manual&#8217;s provisions.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit is the latest in a series \u200bof legal \u200dbattles \u2064around election procedures and transparency \u200cin Arizona. It comes as \u2063the state remains at the center of national \u200cattention\u200d due to ongoing audits and investigations into the 2020 presidential election.<\/p>\n<p><strong>[RELATED:[RELATED:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2021\/01\/29\/lawsuit-alleges-michigan-secretary-of-states-election-directives-were-unlawful\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Lawsuit Alleges Michigan Secretary Of State&#8217;s Election Directives Were Unlawful<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit highlights \u2063the \u200bimportance\u200c of adhering to proper procedures and transparency\u2063 in \u200dthe electoral process. By\u200c alleging violations of \u2063the Administrative Procedure Act and state law, the plaintiffs are seeking\u200c to hold\u200b Secretary of\u2064 State Adrian Fontes \u2063accountable for his actions in the development of the 2023 \u2062Election Procedures Manual.<\/p>\n<p>As the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-judge-blocks-biden-administration-from-ending-title-42\/\" title=\"BREAKING: Judge Blocks Biden Administration From Ending Title 42\">lawsuit moves forward<\/a>, it will \u200cbe important to closely examine\u2063 the evidence\u2064 and \u200carguments presented by both sides. The \u2064outcome of this\u2062 case\u200c could have \u2063significant implications for future elections \u200bin Arizona and beyond, as it will \u2063determine the \u2064extent to \u2062which election \u200dofficials\u2063 can bypass \u200destablished rules \u2064and procedures.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of the outcome, it is crucial that election procedures are developed in a transparent and lawful manner. This ensures the\u2064 integrity of the electoral process \u200cand maintains public \u200ctrust \u2062in the democratic system. The lawsuit\u200b filed\u200d by Arizona Republicans against the Democrat Secretary of State shines a spotlight on \u2062these important\u200b principles and calls for accountability and adherence to the rule of law.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Arizona&#8217;s Democrat secretary of state, Adrian Fontes, is facing a lawsuit filed by the Republican National Committee, Republican Party of Arizona, and Yavapai County GOP. The suit claims that Fontes unlawfully bypassed the rulemaking process and developed illegal election procedures<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2174454,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/800px-Election_Day_2020_50564531997.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2174453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/800px-Election_Day_2020_50564531997.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2174453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2174453"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2174453\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2174454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2174453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2174453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2174453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}