By Mary Jo Pitzl | Arizona Republic
Secretary of State Katie Hobbs intends to stick to her plan to temporarily shut down a website that allows voters to sign candidates’ nomination petitions electronically, despite losing a bid to block Attorney General Mark Brnovich from suing her if she does so.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Joan Sinclair has denied Hobbs’ bid for a preliminary injunction after hearing arguments earlier this week. Brnovich objected to Hobbs’ announcement earlier this year that her office would take the E-QUAL system offline temporarily, arguing she had no right to do so. In response, Hobbs sued.
This continues a standoff between the two high-profile officials as candidates scramble to gather petition signatures ahead of an April 4 filing deadline. Hobbs plans to take the signature-gathering site offline on March 11 so county recorders have time to adjust voter rolls to align with new political district boundaries. This is needed, Hobbs’ office argues, so local elections this spring are conducted using the adjusted boundaries.
But that decision means candidates seeking legislative and congressional seats would lose three weeks of access to the E-QUAL website.
