Gillette Blasts Fontes Over New Military Ballot System

A new voting system for Arizona’s military and overseas voters has sparked a political fight at the State Capitol. Republican lawmakers warn it could weaken election safeguards, while Secretary of State Adrian Fontes insists it’s a long-overdue security upgrade.

On August 8, Fontes’ office announced the launch of “Enhanced Ballot,” a third-party platform designed to handle all Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) ballots. The system is being piloted during the Special General Election for Congressional District 7 before being rolled out statewide. Under the new directive, counties must abandon the existing state-managed UOCAVA process and instead route ballots exclusively through the new platform, which the Secretary of State’s office controls.

Fontes called the move “a major milestone in the state’s two-decade effort to modernize and enhance ballot access for military and civilian voters serving or living abroad.”

“This new system is a leap forward in ensuring that every eligible voter, no matter where they are in the world, can easily cast a ballot that is both secure and truly anonymous,” Fontes said in the press release. He emphasized that Enhanced Ballot addresses a long-standing problem in Arizona where UOCAVA voters had to waive their right to a secret ballot due to how counties processed returned ballots.

The $2 million project, funded through a 2023 Department of Defense Federal Voting Assistance Program grant, allows voters to complete the process entirely from a personal device while still offering a print-and-mail option. Fontes said it has been “rigorously tested,” received “Rabet-V certification from the Center for Internet Security”, and is SOC 2 Type II certified for cybersecurity protections.

However, on August 11, 2025, Rep. John Gillette (R-30), chairman of the House Committee on Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections, issued a sharp rebuke, calling the directive a “reckless expansion of voting access beyond what the law allows.”

Gillette argues that removing counties from the process eliminates a critical layer of oversight, breaks established chain-of-custody procedures, and could open the door to ballots from individuals who have never lived in Arizona.

“UOCAVA exists to ensure that our deployed service members, their families, and Arizona residents living overseas can securely exercise their right to vote,” Gillette said. “It does not give voting rights to foreign nationals, illegal immigrants, or U.S. citizens with no prior Arizona residency.”

Gillette accused Fontes of “circumventing the state’s Election Procedures Manual.”

Gillette said he will request investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the Department of Homeland Security for potential UOCAVA and Voting Rights Act violations, and will urge Congress and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to withhold federal UOCAVA funding until Arizona is “back in compliance.”

✅Rep. John Gillette: Secretary Fontes’ UOCAVA Ballot Directive Undermines Arizona Election Security

“UOCAVA exists to ensure that our deployed service members, their families, and Arizona residents living overseas can securely exercise their right to vote. It does not give… pic.twitter.com/kVf1HPCpi2

— Arizona House Republicans (@AZHouseGOP) August 11, 2025

BULLET POINTS:

• The fight centers on UOCAVA — the federal law ensuring U.S. military personnel, eligible family members, and Americans living abroad can vote in federal elections. Arizona also applies UOCAVA provisions to state and local contests.
• Before August 8, counties controlled the process, maintaining direct oversight of ballot verification, chain of custody, and tabulation.
• After August 8, all UOCAVA ballots are routed through Enhanced Ballot under the sole control of the Secretary of State’s office. Counties are no longer involved in direct processing.
• Gillette’s Concerns: Loss of county oversight, weakened chain-of-custody protections, potential violations of state residency requirements.
• Fontes’ Defense: Stronger anonymity for overseas voters, elimination of ballot duplication, more accessible voting for those without printers or scanners, and higher cybersecurity standards.

This is a developing story that could impact 2026 races in Arizona, a key battleground state.