Civil & Human Rights

No, wobbly Democrats, Scott Smith is (still) not your GOP boyfriend

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Crossposted at DemocraticDiva.com

Former Mesa Mayor and AZ GOP Gubernatorial candidate Scott Smith got an undeniable boost on Thursday. He was not only endorsed by Governor Brewer (which everyone expected would happen, though it’s curious that they waited until after mail-in ballots dropped to do it) but AZ Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill swiftly cancelled a meeting with Smith backers in which he was going to try and get them to switch to Doug Ducey. This is a big deal. Smith’s team reports a big bump in fundraising overnight and, with Christine Jones’ campaign fading fast, Smith has a real chance in that primary. Smith will enjoy strong LDS support now that Ken Bennett is no longer a contender and it looks like he’s going to take business establishment support away from Ducey. (I still consider Ducey the favorite based on his early fundraising advantage, all the name ID he’s gotten with his feud with Jones, the continued dark money support from radical right wing moneybags, and the tendency of GOP primary voters to select the biggest asshole who is also electable in the general.)

Needless to say, this Scott Smith development caused a resurgence in the cooing and swooning that tends to overtake some of the more softhearted liberals/left-of-center types in Arizona where he is concerned. It’s so bad at this point that I’ve seen some Democrats bragging on Facebook how they changed their registration to get Republican ballots to vote for their dreamboat.

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‘Arizona Freedom Summer’ 2014

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latino_vote_110210-thumb-640xauto-1468One Arizona, a non-partisan partnership dedicated to voter registration and bringing about full electoral participation by the Latino Community, today  launched “Arizona Freedom Summer” (2014 is the 50th Anniversary of Mississippi Freedom Summer). The Phoenix New Times reports, Groups Launch “Arizona Freedom Summer,” Campaign to Get Out the Latino Vote:

A coalition of immigrant rights groups held a press conference this morning to announce the launch of “Arizona Freedom Summer,” a campaign to get out the Latino vote in this fall’s elections.

The campaign’s name references the push to register African-American voters in the segregated Deep South about 50 years ago. But this time, volunteers came from the south to register voters here in Arizona. This morning, a bus with 43 volunteers from Arkansas arrived at St. Matthew’s Catholic Church in Phoenix. The visitors, members of an immigrant-rights non-profit called the Arkansas United Community Coalition, are here to share their knowledge with members of One Arizona, a non-partisan coalition of church groups, student organizations, and individuals working to get out the Latino vote and push for immigration reform.

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Voter ID: a solution in search of a problem, or just a means to an end?

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VotersA cause célèbre for conservative is the idea that hoards of non-citizens or impersonators are voting at the polls, and that’s why we must have voter ID at the polls. Conspiracy theorists like John Fund have turned this fear mongering into a profitable cottage industry.

I have posted about the several media and academic studies done over the years on this subject which entirely refute the fantasy that there is in-person “voter fraud” occurring at the polls. It is virtually non-existent.

Justin Levitt, a professor at Loyola University Law School and an expert in constitutional law and the law of democracy, with a particular focus on election administration and redistricting, has the latest research. A comprehensive investigation of voter impersonation finds 31 credible incidents out of one billion ballots cast:

Voter ID laws are back in the news once again, with two new opinions from the Wisconsin Supreme Court late last week dealing with the state’s ID requirement, which would allow people to vote only if they provide certain forms of government-issued ID. The Court made some minor changes to the law but otherwise upheld it. However, the ID requirement is still on hold pending a federal lawsuit.

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Know your anti-choice Democratic candidates in AZ. Part 4.

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This installment will conclude my series on the anti-choice Dems running in legislative primaries. This last one, Sen. Catherine Miranda (LD27), might prove the most difficult to remove due to her incumbency and the strength of her family name. Luckily, her challenger is the hugely impressive and indefatigable campaigner Aaron Marquez. (I’m pretty sure Aaron has gotten more money out of me than any legislative candidate ever has because he’s that good at raising it.) And while it sucks to want a female Democrat to be defeated, Miranda has got to go, we’ll be getting a staunch ally in the Senate with Aaron Marquez:

a marquez

On your campaign website, you mention that as part of your service with the United States Army Reserve, you helped to build women’s centers in Afghanistan. Can you tell us more about this: What services did they provide, and what impact have they had?

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League of Women Voters and LULAC: Arizona failing to offer required voter registration

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Arizona Secretary of State Ken “Birther” Bennett is denying low income Arizona residents the opportunity to register to vote using the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) federal form in his ongoing pissing match with the federal government over Prop. 200 proof-of-citizenship requirements for voter registration. Project Vote reports, Arizona Once Again Failing to Offer Required Voter Registration

Secretary of State Bennett and State Agencieson Notice for Violations of Federal Law

Screenshot-15PHOENIX, AZ — Citing clear evidence that numerous low-income Arizona residents have been denied the opportunity to register to vote, the League of Women Voters of Arizona and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) sent official notice today to Secretary of State Ken Bennett, as well to the heads of three Arizona public assistance agencies (the Department of Economic Security, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, and the Department of Health Services), that the State is violating the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).

The notification letter calls on Secretary Bennett, as Arizona’s chief election official, and the other officials to take the necessary corrective action to ensure Arizona’s public assistance offices comply with the NVRA. The letter notes that although the State entered into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in 2008, which has since expired, the State continues to violate key provisions of the NVRA. The voting rights groups also offer in the letter to work cooperatively with Secretary Bennett and state officials to help Arizona avoid litigation and come into compliance with the NVRA.

Legal representation is being provided to the two organizations by voting rights attorneys from Project Vote, Demos, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and the ACLU of Arizona.

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