Senate President Warren Petersen Demands Secretary of State Fix Elections Procedures Manual – or Face Lawsuit
- Arizona Senate Republicans
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, September 2, 2025
Senate President Warren Petersen Demands Secretary of State Fix
Elections Procedures Manual – or Face Lawsuit
PHOENIX, ARIZONA— Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen is demanding immediate corrections to the Secretary of State's draft of the 2025 Elections Procedures Manual (EPM), warning that if the unlawful provisions remain, the Legislature will take the matter to court.
"The Elections Procedures Manual cannot be used as a vehicle to rewrite Arizona law," said President Petersen. "This draft is filled with provisions that go far beyond the Secretary of State's legal authority, and if they are not corrected before submission, litigation will follow."
The EPM serves as the rulebook for how elections are carried out in every Arizona county. By law, it must align with existing statutes and be approved by both the Attorney General and Governor before it can take effect. President Petersen emphasizes the current draft undermines this process by creating new rules that conflict with state law and weaken election safeguards.
Areas of concern highlighted in the legislative review include:
Allowing apparent non-citizens an extended opportunity to "cure" invalid registrations, which state law prohibits.
Ignoring identification requirements for voter registration forms.
Restricting the ability to challenge questionable ballots.
Excusing petition circulator registrations that violate statutory requirements.
Failing to implement robust ballot chain-of-custody requirements and observation rights.
Diluting political party authority to select poll workers.
Forcing election officers to sign onto policies that compromise their constitutional rights.
Weakening contingency planning for equipment breakdowns that disrupt voting.
President Petersen adds the Secretary of State has repeatedly resisted statutory requirements, and this latest draft continues this pattern.
"Our election laws are passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor – not invented by one officeholder," said President Petersen. "If the Secretary of State wants rules changed, he should propose legislation like everyone else. Until then, we will insist that Arizona's election manual follow the law as written."
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For more information, contact:
Kim Quintero
Director of Communications | Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus