As Arizona prepares for another closely watched election cycle, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes says the state's biggest election challenges are not technological weaknesses but public misunderstanding of how elections are administered.
Speaking at a bipartisan, invitation-only meet-the-candidates event hosted by Gilbert Vice Mayor Chuck Bongiovanni, Fontes discussed election security, voter confidence, transparency and civic education as Arizona heads toward the 2026 elections.
Throughout the conversation, Fontes, a Democrat who is running for reelection this fall, repeatedly pushed back on the idea that election security and voter access are competing priorities.