By Howard Fischer | Arizona Capitol Times
Secretary of State Adrian Fontes was ordered Thursday to turn over the names he has on a list of registered voters of those who may not have provided proof of citizenship — at least the first 98,000.
In an often strongly worded order, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney, originally appointed by then-Governor Doug Ducey, said it is clear that the information sought by Stronger Communities Foundation is a public record and subject to disclosure.
Fontes did not dispute that contention. But he argued that he was entitled to withhold the information because there is an exception to the Public Records Law in cases where release would not be in the “best interests of the state.” In fact, the secretary said he would withhold information of that “could save just one life.”
The judge was not convinced, saying there was a “lack of any evidence that any individual life was in danger.”
Blaney also said that neither Fontes nor his office provided any evidence that Stronger Communities, which operates as EZAZ.org, has ever used information it has to harass or intimidate voters, conduct mass voter challengers, or single out voting locations to protect or harass voters.
