Democrat AZ Secretary of State who once told voter to 'go F-yourself' encourages ASU students to vote for 'reproductive rights'

Democrat Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes urged students at Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe to register to vote so that they could protect “reproductive rights.”

In 2017, Fontes, then the Maricopa County Recorder, gained publicity when he told a voter who complained about a mail-in ballot to “go F-yourself” on Facebook.

Fontes presented his latest case before an “Intro to Justice Studies” class at ASU on Aug. 29, which included more than 100 students, according to ASU News.

“You would set the agenda as it pertains to the environment,” Fontes stated during his presentation. “You would set the agenda as it pertains to reproductive rights. You would set the agenda as it pertained to ethics rules in our courts.”

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Fontes additionally urged students to take part in early voting, and critiqued a group that he called “grifters and liars” who, in his words, accused others of engaging in a “vast conspiracy to steal some political office.”

“There is one way that they know they can beat us, and that is by getting us to beat ourselves,” he said. “That’s what they want. That’s their goal.”

Fontes also stated that students at ASU who do not vote should feel “shame” and that he would not apologize for fighting “as hard as I can” to make sure all the students in the lecture hall signed up to vote.

“I know if you’re sitting in this class, the likelihood is that you do vote. But if you don’t, shame on you, because you’re letting somebody else use that influence,” Fontes said during his lecture. “I’m not going to apologize for fighting as hard as I can to make sure that every single person who’s eligible to vote actually has access to the ballot.”

[RELATED: Arizona students will no longer be forced to financially support polarizing student groups under new law]

ASU News previously reported that about two-thirds of ASU students voted in the last presidential election. “In 2020, 65% of ASU students between 18 and 21 voted, similar to a 66% voting rate for those 45 to 49,” said Alberto Olivas, executive director of the Pastor Center for Politics and Public Service.

Campus Reform has previously reported that ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication has a requirement that some students take a class in a “Diversity and Civility” course, which could have students study “microaggressions,” “preferred pronouns,” and “cisgender privilege.”

Campus Reform has also reported that ASU has a requirement that undergraduates take a class on “sustainability,” which could include classes on “[History] of Black Women in America” or “Race, Gender, and Media.” 

Campus Reform has contacted Arizona State University and Adrian Fontes for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.