By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services
Arizona voters will face at least eight — and likely as many as 11 — proposals they get to approve or quash in November.
And their fate could determine not only the laws on the operation of state government but even the influence that voters have in crafting new laws in the future.
The most sweeping would eliminate many of the restrictions that the Republican-controlled legislature has placed on registration and voting.
For starters, the plan by Arizonans for Free and Fair Elections would restore the “permanent early voting list” that lawmakers eliminated in 2021. That would ensure that people who want can continue to get early ballots, even if they do not use them for several years.
It would repeal the 2016 law that makes it a crime for individuals to take someone else’s early ballots to a polling place.
There’s a provision to sign people up to vote when they get a driver’s license unless they specifically opt out. It also would repeal the requirement to be registered at least 29 days before the election in order to vote and sharply reduce the amount of money candidates could take from any individual or political action committee.
And it would spell out that a signature on an early ballot envelope, if matched to those already on file at county offices, would be sufficient to have the votes inside of it counted.
That last provision directly conflicts with the Arizona for Voter ID Act, which would require those who vote early to provide additional information. This act includes an affidavit with the voter’s date of birth and the number from one of several acceptable forms of identification, including a driver’s license, a state-issued non-operating license, the last four digits of the person’s Social Security number, or a unique number issued by the secretary of state to those who lack other forms of ID.
