Arizona lawmakers try bipartisan effort to avert election crisis

In a state where election skepticism took hold after Donald Trump’s 2020 loss and is still going strong, the pressure of Friday’s deadline finally brought together an unlikely alliance. A supermajority of lawmakers from all factions, from MAGA Republicans to progressive Democrats, rallied to pass this bill.

Hobbs said in an interview that he would sign the bill on Friday. It takes effect immediately.

At the other end of the political spectrum, State senator. Wendy Rogers (R) serves as chair of her chamber’s campaign committee; have He refused to accept Republican losses in the 2020 and 2022 elections and accepted the bill. He said this is an important step “in restoring voter confidence” in the integrity of state elections. He said in a statement that the bill “will allow us to accurately determine the winner sooner rather than later.”

The 2020 presidential election in Arizona was decided by 10,457 votes out of nearly all the votes cast. 3.4 million voters unleashed years of false claims and attacks on election administration. Lawmakers responded by passing a bipartisan bill lowering the threshold for triggering automatic recounts in statewide and congressional elections. At the time, they said this would increase confidence in the election results, although county election officials said the work was burdensome and voters already had confidence in the results.

“The fact that we are in this situation is a continued symptom of the conspiracy from the 2020 election,” Hobbs said in an interview.

Election officials warn that the new law will make it difficult for election officials to complete recounts of ballots in close primary elections while also meeting deadlines for mailing general election ballots to voters overseas and in the military. did.of The agreement moves the preliminary dates for most campaigns from August 6 to July 30, widening the gap between the two (the presidential priority election will still be held on March 19). .

The state is poised to play a major role in deciding the 2024 presidential election, and officials also expect expanded recounts to force them to meet key deadlines that are part of the electoral system. Was. The new agreement allows officials to send results electronically instead of having to drive to downtown Phoenix to process paperwork, and changes the period during which voters are allowed to make changes to their ballots, allowing more It will buy you time.

This legislation changes the period from five business days to five calendar days. Voters will have more flexibility to resolve issues with their ballots not only during weekdays, but also on the weekends immediately before and after an election. This process, known as “curing,” typically involves the voter’s signature and identification questions. The county will continue to contact voters to let them know that their ballots need to be amended in order to be counted. Under the new law, counties would also send the names of voters whose ballots need to be repaired to all state-recognized political parties. They may also contact voters in a process known as “ballot tracking.”

Jack Sellers (R), chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, where Phoenix and the majority of the state’s voters are based, said the changes would have little impact on the voter experience and that elections officials and He agreed with the opinions of the members.

Jen Merson, executive director of the Arizona Association of Counties, said she is “grateful” that state leaders have overcome partisan differences to ensure Americans overseas can vote. “We also ensured that Arizona had a say in presidential elections.” ”