Democrats are asking county elections officials to extend the voter-registration deadline so it doesn’t fall on the Columbus Day holiday, when state and federal offices will be closed. In letters to all 15 county elections officials, party officials are asking for a one-day extension, to Oct. 11. They cite a state law that allows the deadline to be moved when it falls on a holiday, and cite a 58-year-old attorney-general opinion that reinforced that practice. In a practical sense, they said, not extending the deadline could deter would-be voters who attempt to register at state motor-vehicle offices or by mail. Those offices are closed Oct. 10, the published registration deadline. “You can’t get a piece of mail postmarked when the post office is closed,” said Spencer Scharff, voter-protection director for the state Democratic Party.
County officials have been operating under direction from Secretary of State Michele Reagan’s office that the Oct. 10 deadline holds firm. Her office relies on a court case that said a weekend deadline could not be bumped forward to the next business day.
But that case did not involve voter-registration deadlines, Scharff argued.
The Secretary of State’s Office criticized the request as a political ploy and questioned why the issue was being raised now since the deadline was announced in February. The office stood by its Oct. 10 deadline.
Full Article: Arizona Democrats seek extension of voter-registration deadline.