Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The Arizona Capitol Times (subscription required) reports, Election law opponents move toward a referendum:
Critics of the state’s new election law today filed papers to create a political committee that will challenge the legislation through a referendum.
The new group, Protect Your Right to Vote, faces a daunting task: to gather 86,405 valid signatures by Sept. 12 to halt the law’s implementation until voters get the chance to weigh on it in the 2014 general election.
The group filed a referendum petition with the Secretary of State today.
The referendum committee is chaired by Julie Erfle, who writes for the blog site Politics Uncuffed and is the widow of a police officer killed in the line of duty.
The new group is expected to attract the support of various political groups, including the Libertarian and Democratic parties.
One provision in particular, has smaller political parties crying
foul – the requirement for their candidates to get the same number of
signatures as the state’s two major parties. Critics said in some
districts, this means requiring third-party candidates to get more
signatures than their actual party registration to qualify on the
ballot.
The law also kicks out voters from the permanent early voter list or
PEVL if they did not vote in the last two consecutive federal elections
and if, once notified by election officers, they failed to confirm in
writing that they wish to remain on the list. Once taken off PEVL, they
will, however, remain as voters.
The law also disallows members of political groups and organizations
that seek to increase turnout from turning in voters’ early ballots.
John Loredo, a Democratic activist who is helping the group, said the coalition is broad-based.
“People that normally would not work together, are going to [work together] to do this,” he said.
The Arizona Secretary of State web site lists this Referendum as the Protect Your Right to Vote Committee, R-03-2014:
Protect Your Right to Vote Committee
516 West Windsor Avenue
Phoenix AZ 85003
480-382-1102
Julie Erfle, Applicant & Chairman
This petition seeks to refer 2013 Laws, Chapter 209 (House Bill 2305), the principal provisions of which are: (1) setting candidate nomination-petition signature requirements based on total registered voters among the candidate’s potential constituents, rather than registered voters in the candidate’s party; (2) removing from the Permanent Early Voting List voters who don’t respond to certain official notices; (3) making political committee members returning early ballots a class 1 misdemeanor; (4) establishing referral procedures for campaign finance allegations against government attorneys; and (5) adding requirements for initiative, referendum and recall petitions, and mandating strict compliance with all requirements.
A copy of the Referendum is Here (.pdf).
Stay tuned for more details about circulating petitions. Get ready to go to work!
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