FACT CHECK: Kolodin claims Fontes tried to make it illegal to criticize election officials

FALSE CLAIM: Kolodin claims Fontes tried to make it illegal to criticize election officials.

FACT: Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes did not attempt to make criticizing election officials illegal, he tried to implement restrictions on dangerous speech around polling places that courts ruled went too far. Critics argued these restrictions could criminalize protected political speech, including the criticism of election workers.

The controversy stems from the 2023–2025 updates to the Arizona Elections Procedures Manual (EPM), which dictates how elections are run across the state. Fontes included provisions in the manual designed to prevent the harassment and intimidation of voters and poll workers when they were voting.

SOURCE: https://www.votebeat.org/arizona/2025/09/15/republicans-challenge-secretary-of-state-adrian-fontes-election-procedures-manual/