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By Jeremy Duda | Arizona Mirror
Gov. Doug Ducey’s repeated insistence that Arizona election laws make it “easy to vote and hard to cheat” won’t necessarily stop him from signing legislation that would make it more difficult for some people to vote.
Republican lawmakers have proposed a number of bills this session that would restrict or hinder voting access in the name of fighting election fraud, despite no evidence that fraud is a problem in Arizona. Ducey did not specify which bills he might sign — he generally doesn’t comment on pending legislation — but left the door open to signing some of the proposals.
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“I’ve said that nothing in public life or private life is perfect. That’s what we call reform. That’s what we call continuous improvement. And I know there’s ideas in the legislature. And while I don’t comment on legislation while it’s moving, I’m interested,” Ducey said on Monday during a press conference at the Executive Tower.
Among the election-related bills still working their way through the legislative process are proposals to purge the Permanent Early Voting List of people who don’t use their early ballots for two consecutive election cycles, and to require people who vote by early ballot to include proof of identification with their ballots. Election officials use voters’ signatures to verify their early ballots, a system that has proven highly secure for many years in numerous states, including Arizona, where early voting has been widely available for decades.
