FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 21, 2023
Hobbs Kills Commonsense Election Reform
PHOENIX, ARIZONA— Senator J.D. Mesnard is expressing frustration after the Governor yesterday vetoed a series of commonsense bills aimed at increasing voter confidence, convenience, transparency and timeliness of election results.
SB 1595 (early ballots; identification; tabulation) would have required those dropping off ballots on or near election day to follow the same ID requirements as everyone else. Not only does this treat everyone coming to the polls more fairly, but it eliminates the need to validate signatures, a lengthy process that delays final election results for weeks.
SB 1596 (polling places; office spaces; appropriation) would have reestablished precinct voting and increased the number of polling places available for any election to provide convenience to voters and prevent the hassle of long lines on election day.
SB 1598 (federal candidates; observers; elections) was a transparency measure allowing candidates running for higher stakes federal offices to designate a counting center observer from their campaigns, creating an opportunity to see what's happening behind the scenes and providing a greater understanding of the process.
"To say I'm disappointed is an understatement. Elections are becoming more chaotic and more controversial in Arizona with each passing cycle," said Senator Mesnard. "We've seen it take weeks, sometimes more than a month, to count ballots and determine the winners of races. Following the last election, I heard more complaints across the political spectrum about the length of time it takes Arizona to finish counting than I did any other issue, and it’s a problem we can easily solve. Ignoring these problems is a complete disservice to our voters who are taking their precious time to exercise their civic duty. We can't just kick the can down the road every year. My proposals were commonsense, practical to implement and would have made a real difference in tackling some of the issues voters continue to complain about. I look forward to trying again to provide impactful election reform next session."
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For more information, contact:
Kim Quintero
Director of Communications | Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus
kquintero@azleg.gov
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