It is the same Anti Democratic tune from the Arizona MAGA Republicans.
For some reason, after sending voter suppression legislation last year to meet up with Governor Katie Hobbs’s veto pen, they think Arizonans will like the same political musical flop again and are attempting to move similar disenfranchisement legislation (SB1011, SB1152, and HB 2703,) disguised as speeding up the ballot tabulation process, through the State House and Senate.
SB1011 AND HB2703 would require people to drop off ballots the Friday before the election.
SB1152 would reduce the number of days (from 27 to 21) when early ballots can be distributed.
The poison pill results in these bills, according to Arizona State Senator Brian Fernandez “Would result in hundreds of thousands more voters across Arizona standing in line on election day. This proposal would also completely remove the ability of a spouse, family member, household member, or caregiver to return another person’s ballot after the Friday before election day.”
Arizona Democratic Party Chair Robert Branscomb rejected the MAGA assault on voter ballot access, commenting:
“Voting is a fundamental right, and Republicans in the legislature are stripping away at our power to vote them out of office. This comes down to character; as Democrats in the legislature do real work to fund free school lunches, protect our water, and make housing more affordable, Republicans are taking away every Arizonan’s voice. Our last line of defense in protecting our Democracy is our incumbent statewide Democrats who tirelessly advocate for our rights.”
Senate Democratic Leader and Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee Co-Chair Priya Sundareshan offered:
“Arizona’s Republican-controlled legislature is relentlessly coming after our voting rights. Arizonans deserve leadership that will fight to protect our water, lower the cost of groceries, and fund our public schools, not a legislature that is working to strip away their voting rights. The contrast is clear, while Democrats work for Arizonans, Republicans work for themselves and their billionaire donors.”
Senator Fernandez has offered competing legislation (SB1635) that would speed up the ballot tabulation process without putting up barriers to the voting process. In response to a request for comment from Blog for Arizona, Senator Fernandez stated:
“I am a firm believer that Arizona voters deserve fast and accurate election results, but I refuse to give in to the idea that fast results can only be achieved by reducing voters’ access to the ballot box.
My bill, SB1635, includes a 4-part plan, each being a historically bipartisan proposal to deliver faster election results and eliminate unnecessary burdens on elections administrators in Arizona:
Expand in-person early voting to the weekend and Monday before Elections Day.
Remove the unnecessary requirement that in-person early ballots be signature verified even though these voters already provided ID.
Allow ballots to be returned to the central count for processing throughout election day.
Allow voters who show up at an early voting location before election day with their voted mail ballot to opt to show ID and have their ballot skip signature verification…
Our plan will not only speed up election results but streamline the process across the board. Voters sent us to the legislature to find a compromise—it’s time we deliver.”
Speaking of compromise, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs invited Republican legislative leaders and their party chair, Gina Swoboda, in an attempt to forge a bipartisan bargain on election tabulation reform.
Unfortunately, the Arizona MAGA Republicans, thinking the wind is at their backs following the 2024 election results (Newt Gingrich made that same mistake in 1995 on the national level,) presented an entrenched position in their meeting with the Governor.
Gubernatorial Spokesperson Christian Slater commented in a post-meeting press release:
“Republican Party Chair Gina Swoboda is attempting to jam through legislation that would disenfranchise Arizonans to her partisan benefit. After the Republican Party Chair refused to consider compromises on common sense proposals to protect voters, including same-day voter registration, it’s abundantly clear these partisan bills are not about speeding up election results, but rather about disenfranchising voters to advantage one political party over the other. The bills make it harder to vote by restricting late early drop-off, they effectively end the Active Early Voting List, and they unfairly burden public school districts.
“If they were serious about common-sense reforms for the 2026 election, they would come to the table and truly negotiate. But policies that make it harder to vote, without counter-balancing reforms to increase voter access, are a poison pill. Without real compromise, the bills will be vetoed.”
Later, Slater posted on social media:
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