Lawyers representing state and national Democratic groups opposed to a new Arizona law outlawing collection of early ballots by get-out-the-vote groups urged a federal judge Wednesday to block it from going into effect. U.S. District Court Judge Douglas L. Rayes heard nearly two hours of arguments Wednesday for and against the Democrats’ request for an injunction blocking the law from taking effect. He said he’ll rule later on the request. The law makes it a felony to return someone else’s ballot to election officials in most cases. Republicans pushed House Bill 2023 through the Legislature earlier this year, arguing that so-called “ballot harvesting” can lead to election fraud. Gov. Doug Ducey signed it into law in early March, saying it will ensure a chain of custody between the voter and the ballot box. “We join 18 other states in this common sense approach to maintaining the integrity of our elections,” Ducey said in a statement.
Attorneys for the state argue the new law ensures the integrity of elections and calls it a reasonable step to prevent voting fraud. The state Republican Party has joined the defense.
The lawsuit filed by the Democratic National Committee, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, state Democratic Party and numerous voters alleges the law violates the Voting Rights Act.
They say in their request to block the law that it “severely burdens the rights to vote and to associate; burdens minority voters disproportionately for reasons linked to the ongoing effects of Arizona’s lengthy history of discrimination; does not further any legitimate state interest; and was enacted for the purpose of suppressing turnout among Democratic voters.”
Full Article: Democrats ask federal judge to block ballot collection law | Albuquerque Journal.