On tonight’s AZ Illustrated Politics, we’ve got a discussion about the changes in Arizona election law that were passed in the final hours of the legislation session. (For a lengthy look at what the changes mean, check out my cover story, Ballot Boxing, in this week’s TW.)
On the panel: Marson Media CEO Barrett Marson, Ann-Eve Pedersen of the Arizona Education Parent Network and attorney Jeff Rogers, the former chairman of the Pima County Democratic Party. It’s a lively back-and-forth between the participants, so be sure to tune in at 6:30 p.m. on PBS 6.
This article appears in Aug 1-7, 2013.
My major problem with ANY changes to existing voting laws like this, is that they are done so surreptitiously. If those who want the changes to be made are proud of their actions then they shouldn’t be introduced as last minute of the Session bills and/or slipped into other bills as amendments.
If there are amendments to bills, they should apply directly to THAT bill, not be something completely unrelated to what is being put before the legislature. If a party or other political organization needs to garner more support for their programs, perhaps they should go door-to-door and talk with the voters they are trying to recruit, and listen to what those prospective voters believe are the important issues of the day.
The election law changes were snuck through for only one reason and that is to keep non-Republican-voting ballots from being cast as often as possible.