By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services/Your West Valley.com
A new federal court lawsuit could alter how candidates for statewide office get the signatures they need — and do it in a way that could leave voters in all but the largest county out of the process.
Attorney Kory Langhofer claims it’s a federal constitutional violation to require would-be officeholders to gather signatures in at least three counties. He said the mandate effectively gives voters in smaller counties greater power to decide who gets on the ballot. More to the point, Langhofer said that comes at the expense of voters in Maricopa County and, to a lesser extent, residents of Pima and Pinal counties.
That contention will get a legal fight from Secretary of State Ken Bennett.
