Despite ‘threats of interference,’ Fontes assures Arizona voters their mail-in votes are safe

In light of recent failed efforts by the Trump Administration to block the delivery of mail-in ballots in states that refused to hand over voter rolls, Arizona leaders are reassuring voters that their votes are safe, days ahead of the July 21 primary.

In Arizona, registered voters who signed up for the Active Early Voting List (AEVL) receive a ballot by mail, giving them the option to submit their vote by mail, by drop box or in person at their nearest polling place. It’s a practice that has been in place for the last two decades.

Distrust in the voting-by-mail system became prominent during the 2020 elections and under the current Trump administration, that sentiment has only increased. Recently, the United States Postal Service proposed a new rule barring the delivery of mail-in ballots in states that wouldn’t turn over their voter rolls, aligning with a March executive order that sought to limit mail-in voting practices.

Despite the alarming implications of the Trump administration’s attempt to strong-arm the Postal Service, trusted election officials throughout Arizona are ensuring that these midterm primaries and the general election will be as transparent, timely and trustworthy as possible. 

“We have a particularly transparent system where voters can track their own ballot back and forth in the mail. By utilizing these systems, we keep ourselves accountable, so I don’t think there’s too much to worry about,” Secretary of State Adrian P. Fontes told CALÓ News. “But the threats of interference are the real problem and the idea that those threats of interference are somehow designed to keep people from voting — again, that’s cynicism and aspiration on the part of the administration that should not be ignored.” 

In previous elections, over 80% of Arizonans cast an absentee or mail-in ballot. July 14 was the last suggested day for Arizonans to mail their ballots, but registered voters can still drop them off at their nearest polling place or a designated drop-off location by July 21.

The proposed rule from USPS has yet to be implemented, but Trump’s executive order was partially blocked by the U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in late June, noting that the directives mandating the Department of Homeland Security, the Social Security Administration and the USPS — an independent federal agency — to create eligible voter lists based on citizenship and state’s mail-in ballot voter rolls “are legally void as they are ultra vires and unconstitutionally violate the separation of powers.”

“Donald Trump is trying to pick his own voters and he’s trying to manipulate the government to help him and his party politically. It is cynical, it is selfish and it is not the way American leaders should govern. It is a display of desperation more than anything else,” Fontes said. “There is no jurisdiction that the president has to just willy-nilly change processes that are established in law. So the proposal, on its face, as we have seen, is just not going to go anywhere. I don’t think Arizona voters have much to worry about.” 

Confidently voting-by-mail in Arizona

While the voting-by-mail process remains intact and transparent, Gina Roberts with the Arizona Clean Elections Commission urged voters to follow instructions closely when filling out, signing and returning their absentee ballots.

Unlike in other states where there is a grace period for mailed ballots — such as the ones upheld in Mississippi, California, Illinois, New York and Puerto Rico by the recent Supreme Court ruling — Arizona absentee ballots must be received by Election Day, not postmarked. 

“The important thing to remember is when they are returning their ballot to sign that envelope… That signature is critical to ensuring that your ballot gets counted,” Roberts said. “Because Arizona is basically an in-hand state, all ballots have to be received by the county by 7 p.m. on Election Day to count… If you don’t [mail it out], that’s okay. You can still return your early ballot and we recommend you drop it off. You can drop it off at a secure drop-off bin or you can drop it off at any voting location in your county.”

After mailing or dropping off an absentee ballot, registered voters can track its status on the Secretary of State's website at my.arizona.vote/AbsenteeTracker.

Arizona will celebrate its primary election on July 21 ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. Registered voters will have a chance to elect party nominees for a number of statewide and federal seats, including governor, school superintendent, secretary of state, members of Congress and state representatives, among others. Eligible voters can find their nearest polling location by visiting my.arizona.vote/WhereToVote.

For voters in Maricopa County, you can sign in to your dashboard by providing household and personal information to get a sample ballot and additional information on seats and candidates at elections.maricopa.gov/voting/voter-dashboard.

Eligible voters who missed the registration deadline will still have the opportunity to cast their vote for the midterms starting as early as Oct. 7. The deadline to register is Oct. 5 and absentee ballots should be mailed out by Oct. 27.

For more information regarding elections in your county and city, visit azsos.gov.

“The important thing that folks need to know is that it’s neither the federal government nor elected officials who are actually the folks that do the work. We’re talking about Americans, neighbors, retired teachers, veterans. These are the people in your polling places. These are the people working at the warehouses. These are the people tabulating the ballots,” Fontes said. “Any doubts that folks are trying to inject into the system — they’re trying to inject citizen against citizen — and that’s the kind of divisiveness that we don’t have any need for.”

Analisa Valdez (she/her) is a freelance journalist based in Phoenix. Her reporting includes community & culture, social justice, arts, business, and politics.