'Pound sand': Arizona election chief hits back at Trump's voting threats

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes is not amused by President Donald Trump's demand to eliminate mail voting around the country.

"After I tell him to pound sand, I will probably ask the attorney general to file suit," Fontes told Axios, noting that mail-in voting, which was used by 75 percent of Arizonans in the most recent election, is "extremely popular."

Trump has long pushed conspiracy theories about mail-in voting, even though the practice has long been used by both parties. Arizona voted for former President Joe Biden in 2020 before flipping to Trump four years later.

This week, Trump pushed a manifesto to his Truth Social platform, proclaiming, “I am going to lead a movement to get rid of mail-in ballots, and also, while we’re at it, highly ‘inaccurate, very expensive, and seriously controversial voting machines, which cost ten times more than accurate and sophisticated watermark paper. The mail-in ballot hoax, using voting machines that are a complete and total disaster, must end now!”

Fontes, a Democrat first elected as secretary of state in 2022, took to X after Trump's tirade, writing, "If anyone ever tells you this: 'Remember, the States are merely an 'agent' for the Federal Government in counting and tabulating the votes. They must do what the Federal Government, as represented by the President of the United States, tells them…' …they’re wrong."

"I don’t work for the President. I work for the people of Arizona," he continued. "This is a complete betrayal of what it means to be a Federal Republic."

Fontes then noted that Article I, Section 4 of the Constitution reads, “The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations…” and doesn't give the president any authority to dictate this process.