PHOENIX, Ariz. (KGUN) — Unlike most U.S. states, Arizona does not have a lieutenant governor office. Should a sitting governor be unable to do their job, the individual who's second in line is the secretary of state.
Both men running for this office in these midterm elections said they understand its proximity to the top role and its possibility, however unlikely it may be.
However, each said their focus is to serve as Arizona's top election director, should the voters pick them.
KGUN 9 is sharing parts of the conversations with each candidate nominated by the major political parties, as they approach the final stretches of their campaigns.
Describing the job he's running to earn with voters' support, former Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes said he would make sure two other components of the office — business filings and public services -- do not get left by the wayside.
"The filings that happen at the secretary's office have to happen like clockwork," Fontes, the Democratic Party nominee in this contest, said. "It is a ministerial job. You've got to keep doing it day in and day out."
In this respect, Fontes said, by only focusing on elections, he thinks communities might forget the other critical roles the office serves.
From 2017 to 2020, Fontes administered elections in the state's most populous county. He pointed to how his staff adopted faster, streamlined business filing practices.
"We made our folks in that office work a lot harder and a lot longer to the benefit of the voters, not to the benefit of the folks in the office, and we ended up paying a bunch of overtime to do it, but the voters won," he said.
Fontes said he would apply that approach of 'service first' in the secretary of state's office. "It's the folks we are serving: whether it's voters, the business community, folks who are looking for information. They're the ones where the focus ought to be put."
Fontes' administration was not without any controversy, logistical and legal. In the2018 primary elections, his office could not get more than 60 polling places open on time. In March 2020, a Maricopa County Superior Court ruling blocked Fontes' plan for the Democratic presidential preference election. The office would have mailed early ballots to all registered Democratic Party voters who hadn't already asked for one.
At that time, Fontes said his primary concern was protecting voters' and staff health as communities confronted the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Everything that I've done, even some of the controversial stuff," he said, "has been in light of promoting the interest of the voters, not the office."
For this campaign, Fontes said he supports updating Arizona's Election Procedures Manual. Those changes would include new cybersecurity measures, and a suggestion for all Arizona counties to use a vote center model not organized by precinct, if they have not done so already.
As for helping counties prepare for future elections, Fontes said he does not want to see a repeat of what happened in Pinal County this primary election. He acknowledged while the secretary of state's office doesn't have enforcement powers -- that falls to county boards — Fontes said he and his staff would have the experience to help county recorders offices plan accordingly.
"Elections are like organizing the perfect wedding reception in multiple locations, and every single person that walks in the door is a bride," he said. "They are incredibly detailed and you have to do months, if not years, of planning to make this happen."
More voters are paying closer attention to secretary of state races across the country. Fontes said in this run for office, he wants to make the distinction that communities can trust the people who take pride in running a fair election.
"(It's) not an anonymous government. It's you, your neighbors, family members, friends. They're the ones who ran the election and you can trust them. You can believe in them. You can have faith."
A note for readers and viewers:
The shorter reports presented on Good Morning Tucson did not include statements each candidate made attacking their opponent.
Below, you can watch Mr. Fontes' full interview answers: