Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes has condemned the Trump administration’s efforts to restrict mail-in voting ahead of the general election.
In March, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to require the U.S. Postal Service to only deliver ballots to voters on federally created lists.
Arizona is one of 23 states that filed the lawsuit challenging Trump’s order. A federal judge blocked it, but on Monday, Trump asked the Supreme Court to overturn that decision.
Fontes warned voters would be disenfranchised if the high court allows Trump’s order to proceed.
“This close, less than 100 days from the election, this is a federal takeover of a constitutional duty that the states have, not the White House,” Fontes said.
About 80% of Arizona voters choose to vote by mail, and Fontes pledged to protect that right.
Trump’s push to alter the mail in voting process comes after the Department of Justice tried to force all states to hand over voter information, which Fontes refused to do.
Arizona is among several states who declined to hand over voter information and are involved in a separate lawsuit.
Trump also recently doubled down on unproven claims of election fraud in a national address. In that address, Trump said mail-in voting is not safe.
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Find everything you need to know about elections in Arizona and Maricopa County from KJZZ's politics team.
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