Adrian Fontes’ Illegal Use of Taxpayer Funds to Support Rank Choice Voting Initiative Must Be Investigated

by admin | Sep 12, 2024 | Elections, News and Updates

Arizona voters should be able to have complete trust in their elected officials to conduct themselves honorably, ethically, and lawfully in every matter concerning our sacred elections.

Too bad Secretary of State Adrian Fontes never got the memo.

In the midst of firing off baseless attacks against our organization after a court ruled in our favor against his radical Elections Procedures Manual, Fontes found a new way to violate the ethics of his office…and maybe the law.

Last week, in an unexpected, politically motivated, and potentially unlawful use of taxpayer dollars, Fontes filed a brief at the Arizona Supreme Court in an effort to ensure that votes for Prop 140 are counted in the November General Election—regardless of its eventual legality.

Think about that for a moment. By filing this brief, Adrian Fontes—the top election official in our state—unequivocally signaled his position that 40,000 duplicate signatures should be ignored and counted in favor of passing Prop 140. In short, this means that for Fontes, the ends justify the means to ensure that Arizona adopts a California-style election scheme that includes ranked-choice voting and jungle primaries. But that shouldn’t come as much of surprise…because it’s exactly what he’s been working for.

For over a year, Secretary Fontes has been actively working with the Prop 140 campaign in order to secure its passage. And he’s not even trying to hide it. Fontes is currently listed as a “team member” on the Save Democracy AZ website, which is the nonprofit behind Prop 140. Certainly, his filing and work with this group—along with Open Primaries Inc.—severely compromise his impartiality in tabulating November’s elections results given this clear conflict of interest.

On top of that, the brief Fontes filed last week wasn’t even requested by the Arizona Supreme Court. Instead, the Secretary of State took it upon himself to sway the judicial process in favor of left-wing attempts to ignore the law about which ballot measures may be considered by voters. And in a not-so-ironic twist, Fontes’ filing at the Arizona Supreme Court showed incredible hypocrisy when compared to his filing at the Arizona Superior Court on the very same day in Kirkland v. Way. In that case, Fontes argued that his office should be ordered to disregard votes cast for an allegedly ineligible candidate, who is a Republican running for the state legislature. But this is the exact opposite argument of what he produced in his brief supporting Prop 140 at the Arizona Supreme Court!

This is not the behavior Arizonans should expect from our elections chief who is expected to be fair and impartial. But Fontes doesn’t care. He’d rather take a side in a controversial measure that would be potentially on the ballot and use taxpayer dollars to make the case for a California-style amendment that would fundamentally transform the way we vote and select our candidates for public office.

For Fontes—and for his allies on the Make Elections (Un) Fair Committee—it’s clear that “preserving democracy” means counting unlawful duplicate signatures. But this is not saving democracy. It’s trampling the will of the people and the laws that govern how elections should be executed.

That’s why our organization has called for an investigation from the Arizona Legislature and the offices of Attorney General Kris Mayes and Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell into Secretary of State Adrian Fontes’ overt political actions. The people of Arizona deserve to know whether taxpayer resources may have been deployed in support of the “Yes on Prop 140” campaign. And in addition, Fontes must recuse himself of any involvement in ballot tabulation related to initiatives in the November General Election due to his partisan shenanigans.

In the meantime, the state’s highest court was clear that the signature challenge against Prop 140—which faced a potential deadline due to the imminent printing of ballots—may continue in order to ensure that duplicate signatures are examined and removed from the final tally. And if those duplicate signatures in question are removed, the measure would lack the minimum number of signatures required to qualify for the ballot and an injunction would be issued prohibiting any votes from being counted for this measure.

That’s the law. That’s how our elections system should work. And if Adrian Fontes truly cared about “preserving our democracy,” that’s what he would be fighting for.

Help Protect Freedom in Arizona by Joining Our Grassroots Network

Arizona needs to have a unified voice promoting economic freedom and prosperity, and the Free Enterprise Club is committed to making that happen. But we can’t do it alone. We need YOU!

Join our FREE Grassroots Action List to stay up to date on the latest battles against big government and how YOU can help influence crucial bills at the Arizona State Legislature.

AZFEC Calls for Investigation into Secretary of State Adrian Fontes’ Potential Misuse of Taxpayer Dollars

by admin | Sep 10, 2024 | Elections, News and Updates

PHOENIX, ARIZONA – Last week, in an unexpected, politically motivated, and potentially unlawful use of taxpayer dollars, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes filed a brief in Smith v. Fontes at the Supreme Court of Arizona, attempting to ensure that votes for Proposition 140 are counted in the November General Election regardless of its eventual legality. The Arizona Free Enterprise Club is standing for the hardworking and freedom-loving men and women around the Grand Canyon State by calling for an investigation into Fontes’ potential use of taxpayer funds in support of Prop 140, and for his recusal from any ballot tabulation related to initiatives in the upcoming election.

By filing his brief at the Arizona Supreme Court, Fontes unequivocally signaled his position that 40,000 duplicate signatures should be ignored and counted in favor of passing Proposition 140. In short, to Fontes, the ends justify the means to ensure that Arizona’s elections system can be operated like California’s radical system.

For over a year, Secretary Fontes has been actively working with the Prop 140 campaign in order to secure its passage. Fontes is currently listed as a “team member” on the Save Democracy AZ website, which is the nonprofit behind Proposition 140. Fontes’ filing and work with Save Democracy and also Open Primaries Inc. severely compromise his impartiality in tabulating November’s election results given his clear conflict of interest.

Furthermore, this brief from Fontes wasn’t even requested by the court, demonstrating a clear desire to sway the judicial process in favor of left-wing attempts to ignore the law about which ballot measures may be considered by voters.

“Secretary Fontes and his allies on the Make Elections (Un)Fair Committee are urging the court to count unlawful duplicate signatures in order to ‘preserve democracy,’” said Scot Mussi, President of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club. “Far from acting as a fair and impartial elections chief, Fontes has officially taken a side in a controversial measure that would be potentially on the ballot, showing Arizonans that he is using taxpayer dollars to make the case for a California-style amendment that would fundamentally transform the way we vote and select our candidates for public office. This is not saving democracy; this is trampling the will of the people and the laws that govern how elections should be executed.”

Mussi added, “We believe that a public investigation of the Secretary’s overt political actions is necessary, specifically to determine whether taxpayer resources may have been deployed in support of the Yes On Prop 140 campaign. In addition, Fontes must recuse himself of any involvement of ballot tabulation related to initiatives in the November General Election due to his partisan shenanigans here. Arizona voters must have complete trust in their officials to conduct themselves honorably, ethically, and lawfully in every matter concerning our sacred elections.”

Additionally, Secretary Fontes’ filing at the Arizona Supreme Court showed incredible hypocrisy when compared to his filing at the Arizona Superior Court on the very same day in Kirkland v. Way, where he argued that his office should be ordered to disregard votes cast for an allegedly ineligible candidate, who is a Republican running for the state legislature. This position at the Superior Court is exactly the opposite argument of what he produced in the Proposition 140 case for the Supreme Court. 

The matter at the state’s high court is that the signature challenge lawsuit against Proposition 140, which faced a potential deadline due to the imminent printing of ballots, may continue in order to ensure that duplicate signatures are examined and removed from the final tally. If the duplicate signatures in question are removed, the measure would lack the minimum number of signatures required to qualify for the ballot. Prop 140 is seeking to enact a California-style election scheme built around ranked choice voting and jungle primaries.

Read the Secretary’s response urging the counting of duplicates here.

Read the response brief urging the Supreme Court to allow the review of the duplicates to continue here.

Help Protect Freedom in Arizona by Joining Our Grassroots Network

Arizona needs to have a unified voice promoting economic freedom and prosperity, and the Free Enterprise Club is committed to making that happen. But we can’t do it alone. We need YOU!

Join our FREE Grassroots Action List to stay up to date on the latest battles against big government and how YOU can help influence crucial bills at the Arizona State Legislature.

Freedom Club PAC Releases General Election Endorsements for Legislative Offices

by admin | Sep 3, 2024 | Elections, News and Updates

PHOENIX, AZ – Today the Freedom Club PAC announced General Election endorsements for legislative offices in 2024.     

Freedom Club PAC Chairman Scot Mussi stated, “It is a critical time in our country and in our state. Republicans at the legislature have preserved the safe, affordable, and free way of life we all cherish in Arizona. But that is under threat this election cycle. Katie Hobbs has pledged to spend millions to flip the Arizona legislature and turn our state into another California. It is more important than ever this election cycle for Arizonans to vote down ticket for Republicans who are now the only defense from a radical Leftist takeover that will usher in California policies that threaten to increase crime, crush our economy, and endanger our basic freedoms.”

PAID FOR BY THE FREEDOM CLUB PAC, with 0% from out-of-state contributors. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

###

Proponents of Prop 140 Want to “Make Elections Fair” By Counting Duplicate Signatures

by admin | Aug 29, 2024 | Elections, News and Updates

Arizona, we have a problem. Apparently, the group behind Proposition 140—a ballot initiative aimed to bring California-style elections to our state—got very creative in their signature gathering efforts. In fact, you could say that in many ways, they excelled in duplicating their work. And that’s exactly why Prop 140 should be invalidated.

Back in July, the special interests behind the idea to bring jungle primaries and ranked choice voting to Arizona submitted signatures with the Arizona Secretary of State to qualify the so-called “Make Elections Fair Act” for the November General Election. Just a couple weeks later, a lawsuit was filed after it was determined that a large portion of their signatures were collected in violation of state law. And late last week, we received some good news. The Arizona Supreme Court ruled that the signature challenge lawsuit against Prop 140—which was facing a potential deadline due to the printing of ballots—may continue to ensure that the 40,000 duplicate signatures submitted by the Prop 140 committee are examined and removed from the final tally.

Yes, you read that right. The group that supposedly wants to “make elections fair” is content to do so by counting duplicate signatures (i.e. voters that signed more than once). What does that say about the true nature of this initiative?

Of the 40,000 duplicates that were included when the Prop 140 Committee submitted their signatures to the Secretary of State, around 250 people had signed five or more times. And one individual signed 15 times! Each of those signatures were included in the final tabulation by the Arizona Secretary of State. But here’s the real kicker. The lawyers for Prop 140 continue to deny, without evidence, that any of these signatures are duplicates.

This is outrageous. Just look at the evidence for yourself. This isn’t a debate about dubious matches or concerns of same family members with the same name being confused as a duplicate. All the duplicates submitted to be removed were the same name and same address that aligned with what was on the voter file. Under state law, you are only allowed to sign a petition once, so they should have been removed. Instead, thousands of people were allowed to sign the initiative petition sheets multiple times, and those signatures were counted.

But that’s all a part of the plan. The special interests behind the “Make Elections Fair Act” know that if these duplicate signatures are removed, the measure will lack the minimum number of signatures required to qualify for the ballot. That’s why they refuse to provide any evidence. Instead, they have relied on a strategy of obstruction to run out the clock and get Prop 140 on the ballot.

Thankfully, the Arizona Supreme Court made it right. It ordered that since ballots were being printed as of August 23—the same day its decision was handed down—the proposition should still be included on the ballot. However, the Court did warn that if Prop 140 lacks the required number of signatures due to the duplicates, an injunction would be issued to prohibit any votes from being counted for this specific measure. And we’re confident that after the 40,000 duplicate signatures are removed, it will be clear. Prop 140 should’ve never been on the ballot in the first place because the people of Arizona don’t want to follow in California’s footsteps with jungle primaries or ranked choice voting.

Help Protect Freedom in Arizona by Joining Our Grassroots Network

Arizona needs to have a unified voice promoting economic freedom and prosperity, and the Free Enterprise Club is committed to making that happen. But we can’t do it alone. We need YOU!

Join our FREE Grassroots Action List to stay up to date on the latest battles against big government and how YOU can help influence crucial bills at the Arizona State Legislature.

Arizona Supreme Court Allows Signature Challenge Against Prop 140 to Continue

by admin | Aug 23, 2024 | Elections, News and Updates

PHOENIX, ARIZONA – Today, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that the signature challenge lawsuit against Proposition 140, which was facing a potential deadline due to the printing of ballots, may continue to ensure that the nearly 40,000 duplicate signatures are examined and removed from the final tally. If removed, the measure will lack the minimum number of signatures required to qualify for the ballot.  Prop 140 is seeking to enact a California-style election scheme built around ranked choice voting and jungle primaries.

The Court ordered that since ballots are being printed as of August 23, the proposition should still be included on the ballot. However, the Court warned that if the judicial system disqualified Prop 140 in the coming weeks, an injunction would be issued to prohibit any votes from being counted for this specific measure.

“I am grateful for this thoughtful decision from the Arizona Supreme Court,” said Scot Mussi, President of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club. “At no time did the trial court judge or the committee in favor of the initiative provide evidence as to why these signatures were not duplicates, but instead relied on a strategy of obstruction to run out the clock. The lateness of this challenge did not have to be the case if the lower court had only adhered to the Supreme Court’s earlier directive for all duplicates to be removed from the qualifying count. For any ballot measure – but especially one that would fundamentally transform our elections systems – Arizonans deserve complete confidence that our courts are applying all laws fairly and justly.”

As the Court wrote, “There is no statutory directive that a court resolve an election challenge like this one before the ballot printing deadline. Regardless, this Court, and indeed the trial court, has consistently endeavored to resolve initiative challenges before the ballot printing deadline… But the courts’ role is to dispense justice. Courts cannot be forced to rule rashly to meet a ballot printing deadline or provide the parties with certainty.”

Of the 40,000 duplicates that were included when the Prop 140 Committee submitted their signatures to the Secretary of State, around 250 people had signed five or more times. One individual had signed 15 times. All those signatures were included in the final tabulation by the Arizona Secretary of State. The lawyers for Prop 140 continue to deny, without evidence, that any of these signatures are duplicates.

“This isn’t a debate about dubious matches or concerns of same family members with the same name being confused as a duplicate,” Mussi continued. “All the duplicates submitted to be removed were exact name and address matches that aligned with what was on the voter file. Under state law, you are only allowed to sign a petition once, so they should have been removed. Instead, thousands of people were allowed to sign the initiative petition sheets multiple times, and those signatures were counted.”

Read the order from the Arizona Supreme Court here.

Help Protect Freedom in Arizona by Joining Our Grassroots Network

Arizona needs to have a unified voice promoting economic freedom and prosperity, and the Free Enterprise Club is committed to making that happen. But we can’t do it alone. We need YOU!

Join our FREE Grassroots Action List to stay up to date on the latest battles against big government and how YOU can help influence crucial bills at the Arizona State Legislature.

Arizona Free Enterprise Club Releases General Election Endorsements

by admin | Aug 23, 2024 | Elections, News and Updates

PHOENIX, ARIOZNA – Today, the Arizona Free Enterprise Club announced General Election endorsements for federal offices in 2024.     

The endorsed individuals align with the organization’s principles and key policy goals. Club President Scot Mussi stated, “It is a critical time in our country and in our state.  We need fighters who will take on the Harris/Walz agenda that is crippling our economy, harming our children, and infringing on our Constitutional rights. These Club endorsed individuals will do just that.  We encourage voters to support these candidates who will defend free market principles, advance conservative values, and combat federal overreach here in Arizona and in Washington, D.C.  This slate of candidates has proven they can and will.”

Help Protect Freedom in Arizona by Joining Our Grassroots Network

Arizona needs to have a unified voice promoting economic freedom and prosperity, and the Free Enterprise Club is committed to making that happen. But we can’t do it alone. We need YOU!

Join our FREE Grassroots Action List to stay up to date on the latest battles against big government and how YOU can help influence crucial bills at the Arizona State Legislature.