IN FOCUS - Dec. 20, 2024

It’s still three weeks before the 57th Legislature assembles at the State Capitol, but that doesn’t mean battle lines aren’t already being drawn.

A likely first big fight: election reform.

House Speaker Steve Montenegro (R-Goodyear) and Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert) have already announced legislation to enact a series of Florida-style provisions, most notably to cut off early-ballot drop-offs on the Friday before the election. 

The objective: to expedite Arizona’s ballot count, which has historically been slowed by “mail-in” ballots dropped at a polling location on or immediately before Election Day. Those ballots - numbering in the hundreds of thousands statewide - must undergo signature verification and processing following the election, holding up final results by a week or more. The issue has become more pressing as Arizona has evolved into a swing state with ultra-close races for statewide and federal offices.

Don’t expect Democrats to get on board.

Sen.-elect Analise Ortiz (D-Phoenix) likened the proposal to “voter suppression.” Meanwhile, Pima County Recorder Gabriella Cázares-Kelly, also a Democrat, detailed  the unique challenges posed by Arizona’s mostly rural geography and large counties. She called comparisons between Florida and Arizona elections “misinformed and misleading.”

As for Governor Katie Hobbs, she appears highly skeptical of the legislative effort. “My line in the sand has been and will continue to be anything that makes it harder for Arizonans to vote is a ‘no’ for me, and that includes the flexibility that we have with early voting,” she said last month.