“We love what you do. We just want you to do more of it and bigger,” Fontes said, referencing local community events.
Speaking as part of his “On the Road” initiative, Fontes emphasized the role his office plays in streamlining business operations in Arizona. He noted that while elections often grab headlines, business services are critical to the state’s economy.
The Secretary of State’s office oversees trademarks, out-of-state investments and notary public regulations. It also manages Business One Stop, an online resource designed to help entrepreneurs navigate the requirements of starting and maintaining a business in Arizona.
“It took one investor seven months to invest $66 million [because of regulations]. If someone wants to invest, we want to make it happen as soon as possible and as efficiently as possible,” Fontes said.
One of the most basic but significant improvements under his leadership, he added, has been reducing the number of unanswered phone calls. “Before I took office, 700 calls were being lost a week by the Secretary of State’s office,” he said. “We have cut that number down to a dozen.”
The Business Services Division operates with a staff of 12, based in Phoenix and Tucson. The team is digitizing records to make processes more efficient, and Fontes said they are continuously working to improve accessibility.
He also said he wants to make sure reservations have better access to business services, especially notary publics. “The reservations lack notaries, so we want to make it easier for people to become notaries,” he said. “Notaries are important because they sign off when people sell their homes.”
Acknowledging challenges, Fontes pointed to what he sees as a lack of funding for his office’s infrastructure. He plans to request an additional $1 million to $2 million from the legislature to improve efficiency, especially in election night reporting. Despite working with a Republican-controlled legislature, Fontes, a Democrat, believes funding should not be a partisan issue. “The business of this office is not political,” he said.
Fontes, an attorney by trade, said his focus is on improving government operations. “I know how to make government work better so communities can be better.”
On the subject of elections, Fontes addressed misinformation, saying, “I want people to stop lying about elections being stolen.” He stressed that Arizona has always had strong election integrity, regardless of whether the Secretary of State was a Democrat or Republican.
He also spoke about his role as chairman of the Arizona America250 Commission, which is organizing statewide events to celebrate the country’s 250th birthday, July 4, 2026. He highlighted events such as Hike250, which will divide the 800-mile Arizona Trail into 250-mile sections for different groups to hike. He added that they are looking for an Arizona jeweler to supply an Arizona250 belt buckle.
“We love what you do. We just want you to do more of it and bigger,” Fontes said, referencing local community events. “I always love the Prescott parade.”
Fontes oversees a staff of 145 employees and said the best part of his job is working with those dedicated individuals. However, he acknowledged the difficulties faced by election officials. “The most challenging part of my job is talking to election officials and poll workers who have been unjustifiably beaten up by conspiracy theorists,” he said.
Despite these challenges, Fontes remains focused on strengthening public trust in elections and improving the services his office provides to Arizona businesses and residents. QCBN
By Stan Bindell, QCBN
For more information about the Arizona America250 events, contact Executive Director Laura Terech at
Lterech@azsos.gov.
Photo by Stan Bindell: Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, shown here third from the left, brought his “On the Road” initiative to the Prescott Valley Chamber of Commerce.
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