Ted Vogt tries to dictate to the City of Tucson to benefit his brother Tyler

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Tedski has a post at R-Cubed about yet another Southern Arizona Tea-Publican authoritarian trying to super-legislate and dictate to the City of Tucson, this time Rep. Ted Vogt (TP-LD30) who is trying to dictate Tucson's election system in a way that he believes benefits his brother, Tyler Vogt, who is running for Tucson City Council. Rum, Romanism and Rebellion › But Those Are Our People:

I’ve been having some fun with the continued hand-wringing from local Republicans about Tucson’s plans to make our elections a nearly entirely vote by mail affair (given how many of us already vote by mail, it won’t be a change for most Tucson voters). Local Republican pooh-bah Brian Miller tried to connect this with voter fraud in a message to Republican activists on the eve of the council vote on the matter, and Ted Vogt (whose brother is a council candidate) amended a bill last week at the legislature seemingly in an attempt to ban Tucson from going to vote by mail.

First, this attempt by a state legislator to dictate the election system of the City of Tucson in a way that he believes benefits his brother is blatantly transparent. This is on par with the authoritarian "Paton's law" that the Court of Appeals struck down this week. What is it with these Tea-Publicans in LD 30 who have so little regard for the rule of law and democratic government?

Second, if these Tea-Publicans hate the City of Tucson so damn much, why does Tyler Vogt even want to be a part of it? I'll be glad to buy him a one-way bus ticket out of town. Hell, I'll buy two tickets if he takes "Payday" Paton with him.

The bill in question is SB 1331 which now includes a provision to limit a city, town or school district’s ability to conduct a mail ballot election to any nonpartisan election held by that city, town or school district. Here is the authoritarian Vogt floor amendment:

VOGT FLOOR AMENDMENT

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AMENDMENTS TO S.B. 1331

(Reference to Senate engrossed bill)

Page 1, between lines 1 and 2, insert:

"Section 1.  Section 16-409, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

16-409.  Certain cities, towns and school districts; mail ballot elections; report

A.  Notwithstanding section 16‑558, a city, town or school district may conduct a mail ballot election FOR ANY NONPARTISAN ELECTION HELD BY THAT CITY, TOWN OR SCHOOL DISTRICT. A mail ballot election shall be conducted as otherwise prescribed by article 8.1 of this chapter.

B.  Cities, towns or school districts that conduct mail ballot elections pursuant to subsection A of this section shall report to the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives by January 1 of each year immediately following a mail ballot election. The report shall include the following:

1.  Changes in voter turnout.

2.  Relative costs of mail ballot elections compared to traditional elections.

3.  Suggestions for improvements or refinements in the mail ballot program.

4.  Frequency and severity of mail ballot irregularities.

5.  Voter satisfaction with the election process.

6.  Number of nondeliverable ballots."

Since the Court of Appeals ruled this week that the citizens of Tucson — a Charter City whose City Charter takes legal precedence over acts of the legislature on matters of purely local concern, i.e., local elections — are permitted to conduct partisan elections as their City Charter provides, SB 1331 is in direct conflict with the holding of the Court of Appeals.

Should Gov. Brewer sign this bill into law, the City Attorney should immediately file a lawsuit to challenge the law on the same basis of the case he just won a victory in the Court of Appeals over the equally authoritarian "Paton's law."

And as Tedski points out:

Oro Valley and Sahuarita already do entirely vote by mail elections. Oro Valley has been doing it for quite some time. If he’s seen evidence of a wave of voter intimidation and fraud in these elections, Miller should let us know about it.

Or is a vote by mail program, which might increase turnout, only a good thing in wealthier, mostly white, Republican enclaves? Not that class, race or partisanship has anything to do with anything.

Suppressing voter turnout is a long-time Republican Party tactic, and is illegal (I have previously posted about the consent orders still in place against the Republican Party for prior voter suppression).