Arizona Spent $82K on Starlink for the 2024 Election
Records show it was used for voter access in rural counties.
Arizona’s Secretary of State’s Office spent more than $82,000 on Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service to help connect remote polling sites during the 2024 election — a move that was first publicly revealed this spring by VoteBeat’s Jen Fifield.
New records (linked at the end of article) obtained by Fourth Estate 48 through a public records request show the state paid:
$81,200 in March 2024 for 20 Starlink High Performance Antenna Kits, three months of service, and expedited shipping
$900 more in October 2024 to extend service for testing after the general election
The equipment was deployed in Apache, Navajo, and Coconino counties, where traditional internet connectivity is often unavailable. The purpose: to allow isolated polling sites to access Arizona’s live voter registration database for check-ins — not to transmit or tally votes.
At an ASU symposium in April, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes acknowledged the use of Starlink and made clear he wasn’t thrilled with the arrangement. “I’m almost embarrassed to say this because I hate the partner we are working with — or at least the owner of the company,” Fontes said, referring to Musk. “Trust me, we are looking for alternatives right now.”
Despite a recent wave of online conspiracy theories claiming Musk’s satellites helped manipulate the 2024 outcome, the records reveal nothing secretive or suspicious. In fact, they show:
The equipment was purchased openly through Arizona’s Not Practical to Quote procurement process, citing urgent needs in rural areas
The purchases were funded by ARPA grants and approved by multiple state officials
There is no mention of vote tabulation equipment, internet-connected tabulators, Palantir, Tripp Lite, or Eaton Corp — all elements of a viral article alleging a high-tech election “coup”
The documents describe Starlink’s use strictly as a voter registration tool — not a vehicle for ballot transmission.
Without naming specific posts, David Becker, a longtime election security expert and executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation & Research, says these claims mirror the same disinformation that fueled the January 6 Capitol attack.
“No secret hack or satellite or Starlink stole our elections,” Becker wrote in a thread on June 18. “The results in 2024, and 2020, and 2016, were as the American people voted… Our voting machines are not connected to the internet.”
Becker also pushed back on so-called statistical “anomalies,” noting that voters frequently split tickets and defy polling expectations. “That’s why we hold verifiable elections and don’t rely on polling and historical trends,” he added.
Split-ticket voting has become increasingly common in Arizona, reflecting its transition from a reliably red state to a true battleground. The trend began to take shape in 2018 with the so-called “Ducey-Sinema voter,” as many Arizonans supported Republican Gov. Doug Ducey while electing Democrat Kyrsten Sinema over Martha McSally. Cross-party voting continued in 2020 and 2022, when Democrats carried Arizona’s top statewide races — even as Republicans remained competitive in other contests, like overtaking the entire Corporation Commission and retaining control in the Legislature. And in 2024, the pattern persisted: voters backed Donald Trump for president but also elected Senator Ruben Gallego, illustrating once again the electorate’s nuanced decision-making.
This isn’t unusual for a purple state — voters often split their ballots based on candidate, issue, or office, rather than party alone.
The full procurement and internal correspondence documents are available here, and raise no technical or procedural red flags in how the satellite service was used. Still, as more states weigh connectivity options in underserved areas, the scrutiny around infrastructure partners like Starlink is likely to grow — especially when ownership, politics, and security fears intersect.