Full Breakdown
Election Officials Push Back on Trump’s Voting-Process Claims
7/18/2026, 6:31:50 AM
Officials Reject the Need for New Measures
Both Adrian Fontes, Arizona Secretary of State, and Gabe Sterling, Georgia’s chief elections officer, said the president’s statements provide no new evidence to change election procedures. Fontes emphasized that “our elections are run by professionals who can distinguish between their duty and their opinion,” adding that the claims “don’t change the results.” Sterling echoed this view, noting that the 2020 election was “safe,” 2022 “safer,” 2024 “safer,” and that “2026 is going to be safer than those.” Neither official indicated any intent to alter voter-roll maintenance, mail-in voting, or machine testing ahead of the Arizona primaries.
Existing Safeguards and Transparency Practices
The officials described routine processes that include public voter-roll data, list-maintenance audits, and logic-and-action testing of voting machines. Fontes argued that making portions of voter rolls public allows independent verification of registrations and vote casting, serving as a “safeguard” and “accountability” mechanism. He also noted that 85 % of Arizona voters cast ballots by mail, a practice the state will continue regardless of federal commentary.
Political and Federalism Concerns
Sterling warned that a centralized federal voter database could undermine state control, stating, “I don’t want a centralized database of voters… This is about federalism. This is about the Constitution.” He suggested that partisan motivations drive the president’s focus, noting that “every time the president brings this up, we end up doing worse than elections.” Both officials stressed that swing-state races in Georgia and upcoming primaries should remain focused on running “good elections” rather than on unsubstantiated claims.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Well, yes, it doesn't change the results because our elections are run by professionals who can distinguish between their duty and their opinion.” — Adrian Fontes, Arizona Secretary of State
- “Nothing I heard last night is going to make a hill of beans a difference here in Arizona nor anywhere else in the country, I think.” — Adrian Fontes
- “And, as a Republican, I don't want a centralized database of voters, because at some point a Democrats come into presidency, and they can say everybody can vote.” — Gabe Sterling, Georgia Secretary of State’s Office
- “But it was cast in such a way to make it seem nefarious and awful.” — Adrian Fontes
- “And 2026 is going to be safer than those.” — Gabe Sterling
