End Citizens United (ECU) // Let America Vote (LAV) President Tiffany Muller issued the below statement after Arizona Republicans, led by State Senator and LAV Hall of Shame member Michelle Ugenti-Rita, failed to get SB 1485 through the Senate. Yesterday, ECU // LAV hosted a press call with Secretary of State Katie Hobbs and House Minority Leader Reginald Bolding to condemn the bill.
“We are glad this bill has not advanced – at least for the moment – and we urge the Arizona legislature to protect the freedom to vote for all Arizonans, rather than put up barriers to voting. We know Democracy works best when everyone has a voice.
“We also urge the U.S. Senate to pass the For the People Act which would prevent many of the voter suppression tactics being proposed or passed into law in Arizona and across the country.”
See below for coverage of yesterday’s press call.
KJZZ: Hobbs Urges Senate, Governor To Reject Purge Of Arizona’s Mail Voting List
“Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs said Republican lawmakers are bucking the will of the people by proposing changes to the state’s popular Permanent Early Voting List.
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“On a conference call with Democratic Rep. Reginald Bolding and Tiffany Muller, president of the End Citizens United Action Fund, Hobbs accused Republicans of using misinformation and disinformation about the 2020 election to justify unnecessary changes to Arizona’s elections — changes she said will make it harder to vote.”
Cronkite News Arizona PBS: Critics blast bill that would purge names from list of mail-in voters
“Voting rights advocates and Arizona Democrats on Wednesday denounced a bill that would remove voters from the Permanent Early Voting List, calling it an attempt to disenfranchise up to 150,000 voters, particularly those of color.
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“But critics said Wednesday Arizona’s long history with mail-in voting proves the system works. SB 1485 aims to solve a problem that doesn’t exist, they said.
“‘There is really no valid reason to change these systems unless you’re really looking to make it harder for people to vote,” said Secretary of State Katie Hobbs. “There really is no reason to turn back the clock on our successful vote-by-mail system.’”
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