Arizona’s early voting system is constitutional, and a state court of appeals ruled in favor of the popular method of voting widely used throughout the state.
The ruling delivered on Tuesday was the second legal defeat for the Arizona Republican Party and its chairman, Kerry Ward, on the issue, which they filed last year to abolish early voting ahead of the 2022 election. be.
A three-judge appeals court rejected the party’s contention that mail-in ballots violated the secrecy clause of the state constitution.
State mail-in, or early voting, processes provide secrecy “by requiring voters to sign their ballots in secret and seal them in envelopes that do not reveal their choices.” .
The ruling came months after a Mojave County Superior Court judge dismissed the party’s lawsuit.
It is unclear whether the party will appeal this certification to the Arizona Supreme Court. A party spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The party plans to elect a new chair later this month. Ward has indicated that he will not seek a third term.
Last year, the party attempted to take the matter directly to the Supreme Court to settle the matter before the 2022 elections. The court dismissed the petition, suggesting that the matter should be initiated in a higher court.
Arizona legislators created early or mail-in ballots in 1991. It has grown in popularity and has become the dominant form of voting, whether voters return their ballots by mail or put them in an envelope and drop them off at the polling place on Election Day.
More bills to change votes.most will face rejection
Members of the recently convened Congress are eyeing changes to long-standing practices. The most drastic change would be to abolish early voting and require voters to cast all ballots on Election Day, except for those who are absentee military or overseas voters, those who are blind, or those who are hospitalized or in a nursing home. request.
Returning to Limited Absentee Voting Freshman Rep. Liz Harris, one of many election changes proposed by R-Chandler House Bill 2232. Other provisions include the abolishment of ballot counting machines, the obligation to hand-in ballots, the removal of vote centers, and the precinct not covering more than his 1,500 voters, and giving voters his two-year grace period. Includes a requirement that polling places must not be changed unless approved. ‘ let me know.
This bill has not yet been assigned to any committee. In the case of Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, whose former Secretary of State Katie Hobbs ultimately decides which bills to sign or reject, there is virtually no chance of such a change becoming law.
Other bills deal with early voting signature requirements. There are a number of technical amendment bills dealing with elections from freshman Congressman Alexander Korodin.
Technical remedies bills often act as placeholders for measures lawmakers may want to implement after the bill’s deadline.
Please contact the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com follow her on twitter @maryjpitzl.
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