AZ Central

With a controversial elections law headed for a possible repeal, focus at the state Capitol is shifting to what, if anything, will replace it.

Opponents of House Bill 2196, which passed a key committee Thursday on a 4-2 party-line vote, say lawmakers should not tinker with further election-law changes if the Legislature repeals the elections bill it passed last June.

But some Republicans have indicated parts of the elections law should be enacted on a piecemeal basis this year, arguing changes are needed to tighten elections procedures.

Read More (With video): here

Gov. Jan Brewer on Wednesday signed into law a controversial bill that will reshape the way Arizona runs its elections.

Her action angered Latinos and Democrats who say that, with one stroke of her pen, the Republican governor wiped out the goodwill of last week’s bipartisan accord on the state budget and Medicaid expansion by enshrining in law practices they view as voter suppression.

Matthew Benson, the governor’s spokesman, defended the legislation as “common sense.” He said concerns that the legislation will disenfranchise voters are overblown.

Arizona: Leave recall rules alone

Mon, Apr 29 2013 — Source: AZ Central

The Arizona Constitution gives us the recall election to enable us to remove elected officials who are not doing an effective job and do not appropriately represent the majority.

The spirited legislative Republicans are upset that the current recall method was able to remove Russell Pearce from the Senate, although the majority of people got what they wanted. The system worked! Therefore, GOP legislators proposed House Bill 2282 to circumvent the current, effective recall method by adding a primary election to get a result wanted by only a few.

Let the system that’s in place work. No change is necessary per our state Constitution in this matter. The people should decide, not the politicians who are taking away our rights.

The effort to recall Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is approaching its last month needing more than 130,000 valid petition signatures to force an election.

Organizers of the recall effort on Monday said they have collected 200,359 signatures, still far short of the 335,000 signatures they are required to file by May 30 to force Arpaio into a recall election.

Read More Here

I am sympathetic with the legislative effort to provide for both a primary and a general election in the event of a recall, championed by Rep. Steve Smith.

The recall process is being abused. And this reform, House Bill 2282, would eliminate the abuse.

Recall is intended as a remedy for new information or behavior that wasn’t known to voters at the time the reprobate was last elected. Instead, it is being used to rerun elections under terms opponents think increase their odds of winning.

Former state Senate President Russell Pearce wasn’t recalled because he lied to voters or did something other than what he said he would do. In fact, Pearce was recalled for doing precisely what he told voters he would do.

The Arizona House of Representatives has passed a bill on a party-line vote adding a primary election to all voter-initiated recall elections.

Majority Republicans pushing the bill argued it was needed to prevent the ouster of elected officials who are targeted only because of their party affiliation. Democrats say it’s designed to protect incumbents.

Read More: AZ Central