by Staff Reporter | Jul 20, 2024 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
A public servant and school choice warrior of the Arizona Legislature is key to Republicans’ control of the Senate chamber in the next two sessions.
State Senator Shawnna Bolick is hoping her constituents give her the green light to come back for her first full term in the Arizona Legislature after returning from a brief hiatus. Bolick was appointed by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in July 2023, when then-State Senator Steve Kaiser surprisingly resigned from his office. The Phoenix-area mother of two had previously served for two terms in the Arizona House of Representatives (2019-2023).
After leaving the legislature in January 2023, Bolick turned her eyes to other priorities. In an exclusive interview with AZ Free News, Senator Bolick revealed that she and her husband were preparing to sell their house in order to downsize, being that their two children are on the cusp of setting out on their own. Additionally, Bolick and her husband Clint (an Arizona Supreme Court Justice) had started the process of setting a heavy travel schedule over the next two years at the time of her exit from politics.
In fact, the Bolicks were abroad when the call came for Shawnna’s return to the Arizona Legislature, and unsurprising to most around her, she couldn’t resist the chance to return to public service. She told AZ Free News that she was in London when the opportunity first arose for a possible appointment to the state senate, which was created by Kaiser’s vacancy. Then, she was in Prague when the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors selected her for the position. That’s when Bolick’s travel wings were temporarily clipped thanks to her commitment to the challenging schedule of legislating and campaigning for re-election.
Senator Bolick told AZ Free News that she desired to return to the frontlines of this toxic political climate because “we are facing challenging times fighting Biden’s inflationary policies at the national level and Hobbs’ woke policies are driving a stake between families and a growing nanny government.” She added, “When I was recruited back, it was to help maintain our majority and save educational freedom.”
The Republican legislator shared that she has been most influenced by William Bennett as she grew up and started down her path of public service. At age nineteen, Bolick read Bennett’s book, “The Devaluing of America: The Fight for Our Culture and Children.” She said that the book “truly called out to me and shifted my interests from wanting to be a writer to restoring hope in our education system,” and that Bennett’s words “also challenged me to want to go to D.C. and work.”
Later, Bolick studied education policy in college and graduate school. She worked in a New York City public school in 1997. It was there she realized the necessity of more school choice opportunities for everyone – especially for low-income families.
Few people are more passionate about school choice and educational freedom in Arizona than Shawnna Bolick. She noted that “When families realize they have more than one educational option available, not only does it give them hope for a better future for their kids, but families feel empowered to try to make the right decision.”
She recounted a time in New York City, when she and some colleagues went to all five boroughs to recruit families trapped in their nearby public schools to their magnet institution. The public-school employees went to fast food restaurants and street corners to inform New Yorkers about the school’s existence. Thinking back about this experience, Bolick marvels at her coalition’s willingness to “spend their free time recruiting families to a public school because it was an option other than their locally zoned neighborhood public school.”
Bolick pointed out that many of the parents they met on these incursions could not afford to send their children to private school – even though they might have been working multiple jobs. These lessons and meetings spurred Bolick on to her life in public service out west, advancing the principles of educational opportunities for all.
Back in the Arizona Legislature this time around, Senator Bolick serves as the Vice Chairman of the Senate Finance and Commerce Committee and a member of the Education Committee.
When thinking back over her time in the legislature over the past two years, Bolick highlighted a ballot referral as her proudest achievement, saying, “I sponsored Proposition 313 to put child sex traffickers in prison for natural life. If the voters pass this proposition in November, it will send a powerful message that Arizona’s children are not for sale. With a wide open border, I hope voters agree it is time to protect our children from sexual exploitation through trafficking.”
If Bolick is given the honor of representing her district again in the state senate, she is already planning the next policies she would prioritize in office. She said she has “an expandable folder sitting on my desk at the Capitol [where she] started to keep newspaper articles, policy papers, but more importantly, constituents who contacted me to research and draft future legislation.” One of the legislation ideas she is working through is “to deal with the bullying in our schools.” Bolick acknowledged that “we need to get to the root of the problem because bullying continues to get worse, leading to kids missing weeks of school.”
Arizona Legislative District 2 is one of the most competitive in the state, with a 3.8% vote spread in the past nine statewide elections. It is very winnable for Republicans, however, as the party has emerged victorious in six out of those nine elections.
Bolick is competing against Josh Barnett in the Republican primary. The winner of that contest will earn the right to face off against Judy Schwiebert, who is running unopposed in the Democrat primary election.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Jul 20, 2024 | News
By Staff Reporter |
The global IT outage that occurred Thursday night impacted Arizona’s early voting operations well into Friday.
Arizona’s three largest counties — Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal — were impacted by the outage. Together, they account for over 80 percent of the state’s population.
In Maricopa County some vote centers’ check-in systems weren’t functioning, explained an elections department spokesperson.
“The vote center equipment is connected via a network to facilitate voter check in and cast their ballots,” said the spokesperson.
Maricopa County started the day with a few vote centers open. That number grew to 14 by the afternoon.
The outage impacted Pima County’s online system to request a mail-in ballot. As a result, early voting has been limited, with election workers providing provisional ballots instead.
Pinal County early voting was restored hours after the outage.
A majority of employee computer and server technologies unrelated to election operations were also impacted across Arizona’s counties.
The outage occurred through Microsoft’s partner CrowdStrike. The Austin, Texas-based software company said in a statement that the outage wasn’t caused by a cyber attack or security incident, but rather a defect in a single content update to its “Falcon Sensor” software for Windows hosts intended to protect against hackers. Mac and Linux hosts weren’t impacted.
CrowdStrike provides antivirus software to Microsoft for Windows devices. After 16 hours, Microsoft reported that all impacted apps and services had recovered.
The secretary of state’s office clarified that voter rolls weren’t affected by the outage.
In a press release, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes reassured voters that the registration system was secure and operational. Fontes noted that the closed, air-gapped tabulation networks were unaffected, and that access has been restored fully to agency computers used for verifying petition signatures.
“The current global outage is affecting systems worldwide and is not specific to elections or Arizona,” said Fontes.
Fontes clarified that the closed, air-gapped nature of the tabulation networks means that election-support infrastructure, such as email and web servers, are on separate systems.
“[It] is important to note that vote counting was not impacted at all by this event,” said Fontes. “No significant operational delays have been identified at this time.”
Arizona’s voting operations weren’t the only ones impacted. Both government agencies and private industries were affected: airports, airlines, banks, broadcasters, emergency 911 call centers, and hospitals were all affected. Among CrowdStrike users are over half of the nation’s Fortune 500 companies.
United, American, Delta, and Allegiant airlines were grounded overnight at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. Southwest Airlines was unaffected because they operate on Windows 3.1: a version over 30 years old.
Cochise County didn’t mention elections-related outages, but did report that their 911 dispatch center and sheriff’s department were impacted and required their IT team’s work. The Phoenix Police Department also experienced issues with its computerized 911 dispatch center.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Jul 19, 2024 | News
By Staff Reporter |
A federal court ruled on Thursday that those registering with the state of Arizona to vote must provide proof of citizenship. Otherwise, their application will be rejected.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued its brief ruling in Mi Familia Vota v. Fontes. In it, the court granted a stay pending appeal for the injunction barring enforcement of A.R.S. § 16-121.01(C), the provision in statute requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration applications not produced by the U.S. election assistance commission — in other words, state-issued forms.
“The district court’s May 2, 2024 judgment is therefore stayed to the extent that it bars forcement of [the statute],” wrote the court.
However, two other provisions remain blocked under this most recent ruling and the one cited from the district court.
The previous ruling declared that the National Voter Registration Act preempts registration restrictions for presidential elections and voting by mail; the LULAC Consent Decree prohibits rejections of state registration forms on the basis of lack of documentary proof of citizenship as well as residence; the Materiality Provision of the Civil Rights Act prohibits the state from implementing a checkbox asking a voter to affirm their citizenship status as well as the requirement to disclose place of birth; and the Civil Rights Act’s Different Standards, Practices, or Procedures Provision prohibits requiring county recorders to conduct citizenship checks using the USCIS SAVE system.
Senate President Warren Petersen said the ruling represented an election integrity victory.
“Only U.S. citizens should be allowed to vote in our elections. It sounds like common sense, but the radical left elected officials in our state continue to reject this notion, disrespecting the voices of our lawful Arizona voters,” said Warren. “We are grateful the court is upholding this provision in our law, and it’s time for Congress to take action to ensure only lawful U.S. citizens are voting in federal races.”
Lawyer Marc Elias for the activists challenging Arizona’s proof of citizenship requirements, however, argued that the ruling was a win for them since it denied key portions of the Republican motion. Elias dubbed proof of citizenship measures as “voter suppression.”
“9th Circuit (with 3 Trump appointees) denies key portions of Republican motion to stay trial court victory in Arizona voter suppression lawsuit,” said Elias.
In addition to progressive activist group Mi Familia Vota, other parties to the case include Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (appellee), Petersen (appellant), Kris Mayes (appellant), Promise Arizona and Southwest Voter Registration Education Project (appellant).
The courts are determining whether the Arizona Republican Party may enter the case as an intervenor.
The appeal for the case was scheduled for this September.
Earlier this week, election integrity groups coordinating under America First Legal issued letters to all of Arizona’s county recorders reminding them to purge the voter rolls of non-citizen voters.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Jul 17, 2024 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Governor Katie Hobbs said people need to pump the brakes on inflammatory rhetoric aimed at political opponents, but brushed off questions about whether she was guilty of using similar rhetoric.
Hobbs made the remarks in brief during her press conference Monday announcing an apprenticeship program partnership with Intel. The governor offered her opinion on what constitutes appropriate and safe political rhetoric as a response to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump over the weekend.
“Political violence has no place in this country, and voicing our political opinions peacefully is absolutely paramount to preserve the sanctity of our democracy,” said Hobbs. “We have to come together and we have to stop inflaming this kind of rhetoric, using this kind of rhetoric.”
Hobbs added that political discourse has become unhealthy and a hindrance to a healthy society.
“Too often our communities are being torn apart by politics,” said Hobbs. “We need to come together and remember that we are neighbors, friends, and American citizens all united by a love for our country.”
However, when pressed by reporters to address her past usage of inflammatory political rhetoric, Hobbs refused to justify her remarks. The governor dismissed concerns about her own actions as a different type of “politics” than what she was addressing.
“I’m not going to get into that,” said Hobbs. “I’m not thinking about politics right now.”
Hobbs has spent years framing Republicans as dangerous extremists, namely in reference to her gubernatorial opponent (now Senate candidate) Kari Lake and Trump.
“The extremist Republican majority had the chance to do the right thing for their constituents, and they failed. While extremists in the legislature refuse to protect our rights, I will do everything in my power to protect reproductive freedoms for Arizona women.”
“Hate speech and religious discrimination have absolutely no place in our state. Kari Lake and her extremist allies’ rhetoric is harmful, and to give them statewide platforms to spread it would be seriously dangerous for Arizona.”
“Kari Lake is too dangerous for Arizona.”
“Kari Lake has gone radical and is far too dangerous for Arizona.”
“Kari Lake’s campaign spends more time spreading conspiracy theories and inciting fear than providing real solutions to Arizona’s very real challenges. Her dangerous rhetoric and ideas pose a serious threat to our state and country.”
Several days before the 2022 election, Hobbs urged Republican voters in an opinion piece for Fox News to back her because Lake and other modern Republicans were “extremist, radical stone throwers” that represented an insanity and chaos that would override the Constitution and upend democracy.
Even before becoming governor, Hobbs engaged in inflammatory rhetoric against the former president. During the first year of Trump’s presidency, Hobbs accused Trump of pandering to Nazis.
“[Donald Trump] has made it abundantly clear he’s more interested in pandering to his neo-nazi base than being [President] for all Americans,” wrote Hobbs.
During Trump’s initial presidential campaign, Hobbs accused Trump of “promot[ing] rape culture” and “bragg[ing] about sexually assaulting women.” Hobbs also claimed that Trump posed a serious, existential threat to our country.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Jul 15, 2024 | News
By Staff Reporter |
A controversial Republican seeks to return to the Arizona State Legislature for the next two years.
State Senator Ken Bennett is running for reelection to his northern Arizona legislative seat, which is centered in the Republican stronghold of Yavapai County. Bennett returned to public service in January 2023, after taking a break from elected office after his tenure as Arizona Secretary of State from 2009-2014. Before his stint as the state’s top election’s official, Bennett served in the Arizona State Senate for eight years – four as the chamber’s president.
Bennett has a long history in the Prescott region. He is a fifth-generation Arizonan who started his life in Prescott and ran Bennett Oil as its CEO for more than 20 years. Prior to his service in the Arizona Legislature, Bennett was elected to the Prescott City Council.
During his time in the legislature this go-around, Bennett has angered some of his colleagues and constituents over his decisions to oppose certain Republican efforts. Bennett’s votes in the state senate earned him a draft censure from disgruntled precinct committeemen from Yavapai County. They alleged that Bennett was the only Republican in the Arizona State Senate to vote against SCR 1013, “which would have allowed the voters of Arizona to decide if boys are allowed in girl’s bathrooms and would have required teachers to obtain permission from a child’s parents before using that child’s preferred pronouns;” and the ‘Freedom to Move’ bill, “which would have let the voters of Arizona decide to create a Constitutional ban on taxes or fees for vehicle miles traveled and limitations on miles traveled.”
The draft censure noted that with those votes, “it is clear Ken Bennett is not representing the people of Yavapai County or the Yavapai County Republican Committee.”
Both measures would have been sent to Arizona voters for the November General Election if enough legislators had voted in favor.
On his website, Bennett responded to the charges levied against him by these local precinct committeemen. Addressing the claims about SCR1013, Bennett said, “This was unconstitutional because it combined two different issues into one ballot proposition. I voted in favor of the two separate bills in the Senate, but I wouldn’t violate the AZ Constitution that requires ballot measures be a single subject.” And combatting the attack against his ‘Freedom to Move’ vote, Bennett stated, “I supported two of the three parts of this proposal (Government shouldn’t monitor or limit the miles we drive) but it needed an amendment to allow government agencies to monitor their own fleets. The bill sponsor would not make this simple change. The other part of the proposal would let electric or other energy-sourced vehicles use our roads without helping to pay for road maintenance. Unfair.”
Senator Bennett also created controversy within his caucus when he helped to pause progress in passing a border security measure to be sent to state voters in November (HCR 2060). Bennett demanded changes to the bill to win his vote, that he appeared to obtain in a later amendment. He then joined his Republican colleagues in supporting the updated legislation, making it possible for Arizonans to help the state’s law enforcement better secure the border and communities in the federal government’s growing dereliction of duty – should they choose to approve of the ballot initiative this fall.
Bennett lists several awards and recognitions for his time of service on his website, including “Senator of the Year” from the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Arizona Technology Council, and Arizona County School Superintendents; “Champion Award” from the Arizona League of Cities & Towns and Arizona Association of Economic Development; an “A” Rating from the National Rifle Association, and the Arizona Republican Assembly; and a 100% Pro-Life Record.
Danny Seiden, the President and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry, congratulated Bennett on winning his organization’s yearly award, writing, “For years, you have served Arizonans and been an outstanding voice for Arizona job creators. During time of divisiveness, you have continued to be a voice of reason and a champion of the business community. Your thoughtful approach at the state Senate this year has been recognized by many and your efforts to enact common sense policies is greatly appreciated. To strive for compromise on complex policies is a difficult task and we commend you for your ongoing leadership.”
The Republican State Senator currently serves as the Chairman of the Education Committee, the Vice Chair of the Elections Committee, and a member on the Appropriations Committee.
Arizona Legislative District 1 is a very safe Republican seat with a 27.8% vote spread between Republicans and Democrats in the last nine statewide elections, according to the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission. In those last nine elections, Republicans have won all contests within the district’s boundaries.
Bennett is opposed in the Republican primary by former legislator Mark Finchem and Steve Zipperman. The winner of this race will face off against Democrat Mike Fogel, who is running unopposed in the primary for his party’s nomination.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
