PHOENIX — Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes is using a new website, arizona.vote, to “inoculate” voters against election misinformation. The site offers straightforward details: registration deadlines, early-ballot requests for voters not on the Active Early Voting List, ID requirements, and ballot tracking. Fontes said misinformation spreads every election, and the goal is to answer questions before rumors take hold.
The site is not aimed at any one conspiracy theory, he said. Arizona has been a hotspot for false claims about 2020, including that Donald Trump won; Biden’s official margin was 10,457 votes. A GOP-funded review by Cyber Ninjas changed nothing, and regular hand-count audits in Maricopa County found no discrepancies — they actually increased Biden’s margin.
Fontes also explained safeguards: all votes are cast on paper, tabulators are not internet-connected, and each machine must pass logic and accuracy testing. State law requires random hand-count audits after every election, with races and precincts chosen by party officials. Still, some demand full hand counts. Two Cochise County supervisors were indicted over a 2022 attempt, and Mohave County Supervisor Ron Gould could not get immunity.
Election skepticism has had political fallout. Republican Abe Hamadeh still says he won the 2022 attorney general race, though Kris Mayes won by 280 votes. Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer lost his 2024 primary to Justin Heap, who cited low voter confidence. Republican candidate Alexander Kolodin, running against Fontes, blames the secretary of state for “all-time low” confidence.
Polling disputes that. Mike Noble’s survey of 948 registered voters found 70% “totally confident” — including 77% of Republicans and 75% of Democrats; independents were at 58%. In 2021, during the Cyber Ninjas audit, confidence was 58%, with only 40% of Republicans confident. Noble said the improvement shows successful administration and time healing old controversies.
Fontes noted that elections are run by county officials from both parties. “The problem is there are people out there who are motivated to sow distrust even if the little issue that might pop up is minor and easily explained,” he said. “Their goal is to capitalize on mistrust. And our goal is to make sure the public is inoculated against the potential mistrust.”
