STRONG COMMUNITIES v. YAVAPAI/ARIZONA

── STRONG COMMUNITIES v. YAVAPAI/ARIZONA ── Court: Court of Appeals of Arizona Date: April 22, 2026 Category: General NOTICE: NOT FOR OFFICIAL PUBLICATION. UNDER ARIZONA RULE OF THE SUPREME COURT 111(c), THIS DECISION IS NOT PRECEDENTIAL AND MAY BE CITED ONLY AS AUTHORIZED BY RULE. IN THE ARIZONA COURT OF APPEALS DIVISION ONE STRONG COMMUNITIES FOUNDATION OF ARIZONA INCORPORATED; ERIC LOVELIS; WILLIAM JOSEPH APPLETON AND LAURA HARRISON, Plaintiffs/Appellants, v. YAVAPAI COUNTY; CRAIG L. BROWN; JAMES GREGORY; DONNA G. MICHAELS; MARY MALLORY; HARRY B. OBERG, in their respective official capacities as members of the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors; MICHELLE M. BURCHILL, in her official capacity as Yavapai County Recorder; MARICOPA COUNTY; BILL GATES; STEVE GALLARDO; THOMAS GALVIN; CLINT HICKMAN, and JACK SELLERS, in their respective official capacities as members of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors; STEPHEN RICHER, in his capacity as Maricopa County Recorder; COCONINO COUNTY; JERONIMO VASQUEZ; PATRICE HORSTMAN; ADAM HESS; JUDY BEGAY, and LENA FOWLER, in their respective official capacities as members of the Coconino County Board of Supervisors; and PATTY HANSEN, in her official Capacity as Coconino County Recorder, Defendants/Appellees, and ARIZONA ALLIANCE FOR RETIRED AMERICANS AND VOTO LATINO, Intervenors/Appellees.  No. 1 CA-CV 25-0310 FILED 04-22-2026 Appeal from the Superior Court in Yavapai County No. S1300CV202400175 The Honorable Tina R. Ainley, Judge AFFIRMED COUNSEL America First Legal Foundation, Washington, D.C. By James K. Rogers Co-Counsel for Plaintiffs/Appellants Jennifer Wright, Esq., PLC, Phoenix By Jennifer Wright Co-Counsel for Plaintiffs/Appellants Yavapai County Attorney’s Office, Prescott By Michael J. Gordon, Thomas M. Stoxen, Benjamin D. Kreutzberg Counsel for Defendants/Appellees Elias Law Group, LLP, Washington, D.C. By Lalitha D. Madduri, Christina Ford Co-Counsel for Intervenors/Appellees Coppersmith Brockelman, PLC, Phoenix By Austin C. Yost Co-Counsel for Intervenors/Appellees 2  STRONG COMMUNITIES, et al. v. YAVAPAI/ARIZONA Decision of the Court MEMORANDUM DECISION Judge Anni Hill Foster delivered the decision of the Court, in which Presiding Judge David B. Gass and Chief Judge Randall M. Howe joined. F O S T E R, Judge: ¶1 Strong Communities Foundation of Arizona Incorporated, Eric Lovelis, William Joseph Appleton and Laura Harrison (collectively, “Plaintiffs”) sued several counties and individuals (“Defendants”) alleging issues with election administration and procedures. After dismissing several Defendants and multiple motions for dismissal and judgment on the pleadings, the superior court dismissed the case for lack of standing. This Court affirms. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY ¶2 Plaintiffs filed their special action complaint in Yavapai County in February 2024, alleging that the election practices of several counties violate Arizona law. Specific to Yavapai County, Plaintiffs alleged the County’s printers malfunctioned, resulting in long lines in at least one voting center. Plaintiffs also alleged that Yavapai County expressly stated it would not follow the letter of the law in administration of elections, allow unstaffed drop boxes, not follow proper curing procedures, cancel voter registrations of electors and follow unlawful signature verification procedures. The allegations against Yavapai County and its officials included claims that Yavapai County planned to use voting ce