There is no more important office in our state government at this moment than secretary of state. It is this office that ensures our elections are fair and accurate.

I want someone who will administer our elections properly with easy access to the ballot. After the 2020 election, there were false claims of widespread fraud. Three independent audits of Maricopa County votes ordered by the Republicans in our State Legislature found no evidence of fraud. These audits showed that the totals for Maricopa County were accurate.

This November we get to vote for the next secretary of state, the person charged with running our elections in 2024. The choice among the two candidates is clear. Adrian Fontes administered the 2020 election in Maricopa County, the one that was audited and found to be fair and accurate. Mark Finchem has no election administration experience. Fontes is clearly more qualified for the position. But that is only one of several reason to elect Fontes.

Finchem is an election denier who still claims, without any evidence, that in 2020 there were “…irredeemably compromised elections in three counties with large margins of error.” The three Maricopa County audits he instigated do not support his claims.

Finchem wants to end vote by mail, making it harder for working people and shut-ins to vote. He has said that he will overturn any election results he does not like, substituting his candidate for yours.

Finchem will end democracy as we know it. Under Fontes, your vote will count and will be respected. Under Finchem, it will not. The choice is clear. Vote for Adrian Fontes if you want your vote to count. Your vote can save our democracy.