Arizona: Federal Judge Rejects Challenge to Ballot Collection Law | Associated Press

A federal judge has rejected a Democratic effort to overturn a 2016 Arizona law barring groups from collecting early ballots from voters as part of their get-out-the-vote efforts. The ruling issued by U.S. District Court Judge Douglas Rayes Tuesday evening comes in a lawsuit filed shortly after the law was passed by the Republican-controlled Arizona Legislature. Rayes also rejected challenges by national and state Democratic groups that alleged the state's policy of rejecting ballots cast in the wrong precinct was illegal. Democratic groups argue the law banning the collection of early ballots disproportionately affects minority voters. Gov. Doug Ducey has called it a common-sense law to protect election integrity. Violators of the law that bans anyone but caregivers or family members from delivering a completed early ballot to a polling place can face a felony charge.

Arizona: House passes GOP plan to overhaul redistricting commission | The Arizona Republic

Republicans in the Arizona House on Wednesday pushed through a proposal to revamp the commission that draws the state's political boundaries. The House voted 32-25 to approve the measure to overhaul Arizona's Independent Redistricting Commission, which sets political district lines that determine who represents voters in Congress and the state Legislature. The vote, with Republicans in favor and Democrats in opposition, came as lawmakers were working to put together and pass a final budget. Any changes to the commission require a vote of the people in the form of an amendment to the Arizona Constitution.

Arizona: 140,000 Maricopa County voters haven’t received registration cards | The Arizona Republic

Roughly 140,000 Maricopa County voters have not received ID cards, potentially leaving eligible voters in Tuesday's special congressional election unaware that they can cast a ballot. County election officials said they haven't sent cards out since December, blaming a printing delay.  The 8th Congressional District special election to replace ousted Republican U.S. Rep. Trent Franks in the West Valley is being watched nationally as a possible bellwether for the fall midterm elections.

Arizona: GOP House Speaker J.D. Mesnard cuts weekend voting proposal | The Arizona Republic

A bill to modernize elections that had broad support from both parties ran into a partisan buzz saw last week when the Republican House leader stripped key items such as weekend voting. The legislation would have allowed Arizona counties with the proper technology to keep early voting centers open from Saturday through Monday before Election Day, giving voters three more days to cast a ballot. The current prohibition on voting during the weekend dates to when election departments needed time to mark paper rosters by hand to note who cast early ballots before Election Day.

Arizona: Lawmakers at odds over a bill that could keep a McCain successor off the ballot this year | The Washington Post

State lawmakers in Arizona are sparring over legislation that would give a Republican successor to Sen. John McCain a pass on having to stand for election in November even if the ailing six-term senator resigns or dies before the end of next month. Leaders of the Republican-controlled state Senate say they plan a vote next week on the measure, which could have implications on control of the U.S. Senate and has intensified the spotlight on the health of McCain (R-Ariz.), who is battling brain cancer. Democrats have cried foul and are vowing to block the bill, which they say reflects how worried Republicans are about defending GOP-held seats, even in a red state like Arizona. The state’s other U.S. Senate seat is also on the ballot in November, as Sen. Jeff Flake (R) is not seeking reelection.

Arizona: GOP Appears To Back Off Attempt To Rig Rules For McCain’s Senate Seat | TPM

Arizona Republicans appeared to back off their efforts Wednesday to rig the rules to keep Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) seat in their column, pulling from the state Senate floor a proposed change in state law that would have guaranteed a lengthy appointment from the GOP governor should the ailing senator leave office in the coming weeks. Statehouse Republicans seemingly tried to pull a fast one on their Democratic counterparts, quietly adding an emergency clause to a bipartisan bill to clean up special election laws in the state that would have handed Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) assurance that he’d get to appoint a replacement for McCain through 2020.

Arizona: State hires cybersecurity firm to manage risk across state government | StateScoop

Arizona announced Monday that it will use a single cybersecurity firm to monitor and manage the risks to computer systems in all 133 state agencies. The company, RiskSense, is based in neighboring New Mexico and was chosen over other potential vendors in part because of its software that rates a network's vulnerability to cyberattacks with a proprietary scoring metric modeled on personal-credit ratings. "I can have productive business conversations with people who know little about IT and security," Mike Lettman, Arizona's chief information security officer, said in a press release.

Arizona: Election database targeted in 2016 by criminals, not Russia: source | Reuters

A hack on an Arizona election database during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign was carried out by suspected criminal actors and not the Russian government, a senior Trump administration official told Reuters on Sunday. The official was responding to a report on CBS News’ “60 Minutes” citing an internal government document that Russian hackers successfully infiltrated computer systems associated with at least four U.S. states, including Arizona, leading up to the 2016 election. Hackers working for the Kremlin breached systems in Illinois, a county database in Arizona, a Tennessee state website and an information technology vendor in Florida, according to the previously undisclosed Oct. 28, 2016, assessment from the Department of Homeland Security, according to the program. 

Arizona: Republicans fight to protect dark-money donors from voters | Salon

American cities have become increasingly liberal, while the Republican Party controls most state governments. In an effort to keep blue cities from passing local ordinances reflecting their values, Republicans legislators in state capitals have embraced pre-emption laws, preventing city governments from enacting all kinds of things: Protecting their residents from discrimination, for instance, or increasing the minimum wage. Now Republicans in the Arizona state legislature are using that power to protect the flow of dark money — cash spent on campaigns from secret donors — into state and local elections. It turns out some powerful national interests are involved in making sure that local communities don't know who is spending money to influence their elections.

Arizona: Senate OKs GOP plan to revamp redistricting panel | Associated Press

The Arizona Senate split along party lines as it approved a Republican proposal to revamp the state commission that handles the contentious political issue of redrawing the state’s congressional and legislative districts once each decade. The measure approved Wednesday would increase the Independent Redistricting Commission to nine members with equal numbers of Republicans, Democrats and independents. The commission currently has two Republicans, two Democrats and one independent. Redistricting has high stakes in politics because the boundaries and makeup of districts can influence whether a party and individual candidates can win elections.

Arizona: Justice Department, Arizona Settle Spat Over Rushed Absentee Voting | Courthouse News

The federal government said Tuesday it has reached a deal with Arizona after the state failed to give absentee voters enough time to consider final ballots in a special primary election slated for the end of February. The agreement comes after the Justice Department sued Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan last week, claiming absentee voters were not given 45 days to consider the finalized ballot for a special election to fill a vacancy in the state’s 8th Congressional District. U.S. Rep. Trent Franks, a Republican, stepped down from the seat in December after he was accused of offering a female staffer $5 million to be a surrogate for his children. Gov. Doug Ducey ordered a special primary election for Feb. 27, with the general election set for April 24.

Arizona: Panel okays proposal for state lawmakers to tap U.S. Senate nominees | Arizona Capitol Times

Claiming they’re being ignored by John McCain and Jeff Flake, Republican state legislators took the first steps Tuesday to allowing them — and not the voters — to choose who gets to run for the U.S. Senate. On a 6-3 party-line vote, members of the House Committee on Federalism, Property Rights and Public Policy approved a a measure which would give lawmakers the power to nominate Senate candidates. Legislators from each political party would choose two nominees for each open seat, with the four names going on the general election ballot. HCR 2022 now goes to the full House. If it gets approved there and by the Senate, the change would have to be ratified by voters in November. In essence, the proposal would partly return Arizona to the way things were prior to 1913 when U.S. senators were chosen outright by the legislatures of each state, with no popular vote at all.

Arizona: Republican bill could allow Legislature to draw map of voters | Arizona Republic

Republican state lawmakers are pushing a November ballot proposition that would ask voters to overhaul the panel that draws Arizona's political boundaries — a move that could affect which party holds power at the state Capitol. The proposition would also give state legislators the authority to potentially sketch their own district boundaries, as well as those of Arizona's members of Congress. Supporters said the proposal is intended to make the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission — a bipartisan panel that was created to take that power away from the Legislature — larger and, thereby, more bipartisan. But Democrats and voter-advocacy groups say it's a veiled attempt to dismantle the commission and let state lawmakers pick their voters through gerrymandering.

Arizona: Legislative leaders push redistricting commission changes | Associated Press

Republican leaders in the Arizona Legislature are pushing a proposal to dramatically overhaul the independent commission that draws congressional and legislative maps every decade. Redistricting is important because it can decide which party gets the majority of congressional and state legislative seats. It is a contentious issue nationwide. Senate President Steve Yarbrough’s proposal would expand the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission from five to eight members, all appointed by the Legislature. Three would be Democrats, three Republicans and two independents.

Arizona: Groups seek clarity on felons’ voting rights in Arizona | Associated Press

The Arizona Secretary of State’s Office has begun revising its website and may also change its forms to make clear that first-time felons automatically get their voting rights restored when they complete their sentences, including paying any fines and restitution. The Campaign Legal Center found that the automatic process wasn’t clear on forms, which misleadingly implied that first-time felons had to go through a process that by law only applies to people with more than one felony conviction, the Arizona Capitol Times reported Wednesday. In a letter to Secretary of State Michele Reagan, the advocacy group noted the state’s website also did not provide any information about automatic restoration for first-time felons.

“The inaccurate or misleading information on these forms assuredly leads many citizens of Arizona not to exercise their constitutionally protected right to vote,” the group told Reagan.

The group is looking at other states’ voter registration forms to ensure they display adequate information, said Danielle Lang, an attorney with the center.

Already it has found six states, including Arizona, that have issues with their forms. Currently, the form in Arizona reads that people cannot register to vote in the state if they “have been convicted of a felony and have not yet had civil rights restored.” It doesn’t elaborate on the distinction between a first-time felon and a repeating offender.

Full Article: Groups seek clarity on felons’ voting rights in Arizona – Arizona’s Family.

Arizona: How all-mail elections impact homeless and disabled voters | AZ Central

Tempe's upcoming election will be an all mail-in election, but some worry that as cities and school districts increasingly move to postal voting, homeless people and those with certain disabilities could be disenfranchised. All Maricopa County school districts opted to have voters cast ballots by mail last fall. Cities including Tempe, Fountain Hills, Queen Creek and Surprise are pursuing mail-in ballots this year. Renaldo Fowler of the Arizona Center for Disability Law, along with the Arizona Clean Elections Commission, are among those working to ensure voting by mail doesn't leave some people out. They've been working to educate Arizona's homeless population on how they can still vote without a home address. And to educate voters with visual impairments and other disabilities that special ballots can be requested, such as large print or braille.

Arizona: Franks’ immediate resignation puts monkey wrench into special election | Arizona Capitol Times

A quirk in state law could force top contenders to replace Trent Franks to choose between a run for Congress and keeping their current jobs in the Legislature. Gov. Doug Ducey is expected to announce Monday the date for the primary election for those who want to vie for the now-open post in Congressional District 8. That can be between Feb. 26 and March 8. But by law, the deadline to submit nominating petitions will be Jan. 10. And that’s what creates the dilemma for sitting lawmakers.

Arizona: Voting rights groups say state is in violation of National Voter Registration Act | Arizona Daily Sun

A coalition of voting rights groups is charging that state agencies are violating federal laws designed to provide opportunities for people to register. In a 15-page complaint Tuesday to Secretary of State Michele Reagan, attorneys for the groups detailed what they say are flaws in both state statutes and the processes used by state agencies in getting people signed up to vote. The lawyers say if the problems are not corrected within 90 days they will sue. Attorney Darrell Hill of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona defended the 90 day deadline. "The state has been aware of some of these problems for quite some time,'' he told Capitol Media Services. Hill said groups have filed similar complaints in the past.

Arizona: Democrats, others suing over Arizona political spending law | Associated Press

A 2016 Arizona law that expanded the ability of some groups to spend unlimited amounts of money on elections without disclosing their donors was challenged in court Wednesday by a group of Democratic lawmakers, a union and a voter advocacy group. The lawsuit filed in Maricopa County Superior Court seeks to overturn parts of the law allowing corporations and some non-profit groups to avoid disclosure. It also seeks to overturn the removal of the Citizens Clean Elections Commission from enforcement authority over some outside campaign spending, and to invalidate another part that allows political parties to pay for lavish fundraisers for candidates.

Arizona: Attorney General Says Counties Can Maintain Own Voter Rolls | Associated Press

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich says county election officials can maintain separate voter databases but are legally required to send voter information to the secretary of state's office. Brnovich also said in an opinion released Monday that Secretary of State Michele Reagan can't refer public records requests or legal subpoenas to counties since she also maintains the voter rolls. The opinion also clarified what voter registration information county recorders are required to provide to Reagan's office. Solicitor General Dominic Draye wrote that includes everything, and immediately.

Arizona: Did Maricopa County elections boss Adrian Fontes flub voting rule? | Arizona Republic

Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes, a week after apologizing for insulting a voter, flubbed an election place rule Tuesday as he was trying to promote Election Day. Fontes, a lawyer and Democrat who took office this year following voting-day problems with his predecessor, recorded a Facebook Live video promoting Election Day within 75 feet of the Surprise City Hall ballot center. Arizona law restricts photography and video recording within that area at voting locations. Fontes downplayed the apparent violation, and a Republican election law expert said no harm was done. Voting otherwise appeared to be going smoothly at ballot centers across the Valley for school-district and city bond and override measures, a year after former Recorder Helen Purcell came under fire for long lines at too few polling locations. And this year's voter participation seemed on track to exceed previous low-profile elections. 

Arizona: Lawsuit contends voters are being disenfranchised | Arizona Daily Sun

A new lawsuit charges that thousands of Arizonans are illegally being denied the right to vote in federal elections. Legal papers filed Tuesday in federal court here acknowledge that state law requires would-be voters to produce certain identification when registering. That requirement has been upheld in prior court rulings. But attorneys for the League of United Latin American Citizens and the Arizona Students Association point out that the U.S. Supreme Court has said that state law does not -- and cannot -- prevent people from registering to vote for federal elections using a federally approved registration form. And they contend that those whose state registrations are rejected for lack of citizenship proof are not informed of that option.

Arizona: Maricopa County’s Recorder Apologizes for His Online Tirade | Associated Press

Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes apologized Wednesday for recent inflammatory online comments made to a candidate for the Arizona Legislature who had criticized the design of election ballots. In a five-minute video on his Facebook page, Fontes said he was sorry for his "inappropriate and rude comments" to State House District 13 candidate Nathan Schneider and apologized to all county voters and residents and the elections department. Schneider complained on his own Facebook page Sunday that the county's Nov. 7 election date was hard for him and his mother to find on the mail-in ballot and ballot inserts and wasn't printed on the envelope.

Arizona: Maricopa County elections boss Adrian Fontes tells voter to ‘Go F- yourself’ | Arizona Republic

When a Goodyear voter complained on Facebook that his Nov. 7 ballot was confusing, Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes insulted him, attacked the voter's mother and told him to "go F- yourself." The social-media tirade comes as Fontes, the only Democrat to run Maricopa County elections in recorded history, is under a microscope. He beat a longtime GOP elections chief in 2016 with promises of better representation and communication with voters and has faced suspicion from Republican officials and voters. Tuesday's local election is a litmus test for Fontes. Fontes responded angrily to the Goodyear voter, Nathan Schneider, who complained that the election date was hard for him and his mother to find on the mail-in ballot and ballot inserts, and was not printed on the envelope. "The public should not be forced to make assumptions when voting," Schneider, a Democratic candidate for Arizona Legislature, posted on Facebook. "Adrian Fontes doesn't listen to me, but if any of you have his ear, maybe you could ask him why they are not labeling the Election Day on the ballot and making it more legible, easier to find, and easier to identify." Fontes responded by asking if Schneider's mother ran his campaign and writing "go F- yourself." 

Arizona: Investigator: Secretary of state violated law, but no penalties | Arizona Republic

Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan broke the law when her office failed to mail publicity pamphlets to hundreds of thousands of voters in time for the May 2016 special election, a state-appointed investigator has concluded. But, the investigator found, there is no provision in state law to punish anyone for not delivering the pamphlets on time and Reagan and her staff did not act criminally. That's the outcome of a long-awaited investigative report released Wednesday by the Arizona Attorney General's Office. Michael Morrissey, a former federal prosecutor now in private practice, led the review as an appointed special investigator. "Approximately 200,000 households did not receive the publicity pamphlets in a timely manner," Morrissey's report states. "That is a violation of law."

Arizona: Report says Reagan broke state law in election | Arizona Daily Sun

The failure of Secretary of State Michele Reagan to get ballot brochures on time to the homes of 200,000 voters ahead of last year's election broke state law, according to a new report released Wednesday. Attorney Tom Morrissey, asked to investigate by Attorney General Mark Brnovich, said his year-long inquiry found Reagan's staff failed to follow various procedures designed to ensure that Arizonans knew what they were voting on in the May 2016 special election. Potentially more significant, Morrissey said Reagan was aware of the problem more than two weeks before she notified the public that many of them would not be getting the brochures on time describing the details of Proposition 123 to put more money into public education and Proposition 124 to make changes to public pension plans.

Arizona: Democrats will try again to overturn ‘ballot harvesting’ ban | Arizona Daily Star

The Arizona Democratic Party goes to federal court Tuesday, Oct. 3, in a bid to overturn a ban on “ballot harvesting” and ensure that ballots cast in the wrong precinct are counted anyway. The Democrats’ attorney, Bruce Spiva, contends the Republican-controlled Legislature acted illegally last year in making it a felony for an individual to take anyone else’s early ballot to a polling place. Spiva said he will present evidence that the measure will cause undue harm to minorities and other groups. But Sara Agne, attorney for the Arizona Republican Party, who is defending the law, will argue that lawmakers were entitled to put procedures in place designed to prevent fraud. Spiva could have an uphill battle.

Arizona: Group asks Arizona to restore voting rights to felons | AZ Central

The American Civil Liberties Union launched a nationwide campaign Sunday on voting rights, with an emphasis in Arizona on restoring the voting rights of people convicted of a felony crime. The Let People Vote campaign is working with community members to help pass a bill in the Arizona Legislature to restore the voting rights of citizens with felony convictions upon the completion of their sentence. Alessandra Soler, ACLU Arizona executive director, said the organization aims to take back the vote in direct response to the Trump administration's investigation of voter fraud, a problem she said "doesn't exist."

Arizona: Agencies feuding over power to police ‘dark money’ groups | AZ Central

As next year’s statewide elections get closer, several Arizona agencies are locked in a bitter feud to determine who has the power to police so-called “dark money” groups that spend millions to influence races. The dispute is playing out in complicated legal tit-for-tats, but the heart of the fight is simple: Should the office of Secretary of State Michele Reagan or the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission, a voter-created body, play the role of enforcer? And is there room for two policemen? It's unclear how the dispute will get resolved. Ultimately, courts may have to decide.

Arizona: Maricopa County takes extreme measures to protect voting systems | KPHO

On the day of the general election in 2016, Maricopa County voters experienced problems at the polls. Some of those problems, according to elections officials, were the result of the “epollbooks” used in the place of paper voter rolls. Officials say the software had trouble handling the sheer number of voters the Phoenix metro area was seeing. “There were several instances of double voting,” said Adrian Fontes, who was elected Maricopa County Recorder that day and has been tasked with figuring out what went wrong. … The president of Robis Elections, the company that provided epoll book services for Maricopa County, told CBS 5 Investigates that his company was not hacked by Russians or anyone else. … But after Fontes took office, he took the drastic measure of ending the contract with Robis and tasking county employees to create a new system from scratch — one that would avoid the problems and alleged security vulnerabilities of the 2016 election.