Attorneys are preparing petitions that will be circulated to block the Arizona Legislature’s spate of voter-suppression legislation and place the bills on the 2022 ballot where they can be rejected by the voters. Further, Arizona Deserves Better, has begun hiring staff along with a fund-raising consultant. And thanks to the support of DailyKos readers, we are on our way to protecting Arizona’s precious U.S. Senate seat and democracy itself.
The process we are initiating is written into Arizona’s Constitution, which allows ordinary citizens to petition in order to place controversial laws on the ballot, where Arizona’s voters can vote up or down. In order to put these bills on the ballot, we have only 90 days from the adjournment of the Legislature to collect the signatures for each bill.
If you can contribute, please give what you can to save American democracy. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/azvoters
If you are not in a position to contribute financially, please volunteer. https://secure.everyaction.com/x5h8oo6C4ESaRrJFbn_v7w2 We need help with postcards, phone calls and other contacts to let our best Democrats know when and where in their neighborhood they can sign our petitions. It requires a separate signature for each of the bad bills the Legislature churns out.
One of the first bills we are challenging would do away with the extremely popular Permanent Early Voting List, or PEVL. Voters are very familiar with this list—Arizonans have signed up to vote by mail in droves. With the Legislature’s plan, they would be placed on a different unfamiliar list, and left wondering whether they would be removed under a complicated set of rules. With the GOP majority in the Legislature, it is all about spreading confusion and manufacturing uncertainty about democracy.
Another bill we are challenging eliminates the ballot “curing” period after an election. Say an elderly person has had some health issues and their signature has changed slightly. Under current law, they can verify their signature if questioned within five business days. The Legislature’s bill cuts off the curing period at 7 p.m. on election day. In addition to seniors, this will hit hard at minority voters.
Arizona went for Biden by only 11,000 votes in a state with a population of more than seven million. The opposition is throwing everything they can think of at the voters, hoping to chip away a little here, a little there. It’s the only way they believe they can continue in office against the will of the people.
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/azvoters
Visit our website at: https://AZDeservesBetter.org
Thanks again for your support.