Secretary of State Michele Reagan’s office issued incorrect instructions to candidates seeking to get on the primary ballot, and only notified them of the problems in the final weeks of signature-gathering. With the deadline for candidate filings arriving on Wednesday, the lag in correcting the mistakes could cause some candidates to be disqualified. State Elections Director Eric Spencer downplayed that likelihood, saying the changes were minimal. Still, the issue arises as the Secretary of State’s Office is embroiled in controversy over its failure to send publicity pamphlets to nearly 200,000 households in advance of the May 17 special election, and only acknowledging it two weeks later after a media report. That is the subject of an ongoing inquiry by state Attorney General Mark Brnovich.
“What’s particularly disturbing with what’s going on at the secretary of state is not only that they’re making mistakes and blaming others, they’re covering up their mistakes,” said Barb Lubin, political director for the state Democratic Party.
On Thursday — six days before the June 1 filing deadline — the secretary of state notified the political state parties that it had posted on its website the wrong nomination form for precinct committeemen. The office had made available a nonpartisan form, which won’t work for the inherently partisan function of being a precinct committeeman. The precinct committeemen help nominate replacements for legislative vacancies and perform other grass-roots party duties.
Full Article: Arizona secretary of state quietly fixes mistakes, but delay could prove costly.
