Let America Vote announced the 2022 inductees into its Voter Suppression Hall of Shame, an ongoing list dishonoring the biggest anti-democracy and anti-voting rights politicians. The 2022 inductees are extremist candidates who deny the results of the 2020 election, are threatening to deny the results of the 2022 election, and want to be in a position to overturn the will of the people in the 2024 election. In Arizona, Mark Finchem, Abe Hamadeh, and Kari Lake were all inducted to the Voter Suppression Hall of Shame this cycle.
“These dangerous candidates pose an extremist threat to Arizona’s democracy. They’ve proven they refuse to listen to the will of Arizona voters and want to rig future elections for themselves and their political allies,” said LAV President Tiffany Muller. “We’re inducting them into our Voter Suppression Hall of Shame for their election denial and extremist policies that will silence the voice of Arizonans and restrict the freedom to vote.”
Mark Finchem attended the January 6th insurrection and lied about how close he came to the Capitol. He calls it fantasy that President Biden could win Arizona again in 2024 because he never met anyone who voted for him.
Abe Hamadeh falsely said Trump was robbed in 2020, and vowed to “lock up” those responsible.
Kari Lake built her campaign on the Big Lie that Trump won in 2020, and said she would only accept the 2022 results if she wins, and has proposed banning voting machines.
Finchem could:
-
Refuse to certify the election results if the Republican presidential nominee doesn’t win in 2024, which he has said he will do.
-
Rewrite Arizona’s election rules—as he has pledged to do—and implement new restrictive voter laws.
-
Make local election administration more partisan by dictating their training and refusing to certify certain election officers.
Hamadeh could:
-
Defend unconstitutional voting laws passed by the legislature.
-
Add new language—likely based on conspiracy theories—to Arizona’s electoral system to restrict ballot access for Arizonans.
Lake could:
-
Refuse to approve a voter handbook unless it aligns with draconian voting practices, leaving Arizona’s democracy vulnerable to chaotic legal battles.
-
Push for restrictive voter legislation that would put up barriers to the ballot box.
###