Senate President Warren Petersen announced on Monday morning that he received the list of 218,000 voters registered without proof of citizenship.
These 218,000 voters (an increase from the initial estimate of nearly 100,000) had obtained their driver’s licenses prior to the 1996 requirement to apply with proof of citizenship, went on to get a duplicate license, and then registered to vote for the first time or re-registered to vote after 2004. For over 20 years, they were caught up in a compatibility error between the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) and the state’s voter registration system.
Later in the day, Fontes announced that voters can check whether they’re one of the affected voters through my.arizona.vote.
The Arizona Supreme Court ruled in September that these voters caught up in the compatibility error would be allowed to vote the full ballot. America First Legal sued Fontes last month to obtain access to that list of voters.
“This morning I authorized receipt of those names,” said Petersen. “We will do everything we can to make sure our elections are run with integrity.”
Judge ruled AZSOS must release 218k names that he had refused to disclose. This morning I authorized receipt of those names. We will do everything we can to make sure our elections are run with integrity. Special thanks to @merissahamilton@America1stLegal@JenWEsq!
After Petersen announced receipt of the list, Fontes held a press conference discussing the impact of the court-ordered release.
“Let me be very clear about that: every single person on that list has sworn under penalty of perjury that they are a U.S. citizen and eligible to vote,” said Fontes. “They’ve done the exact same thing that every other citizen of the United States of America has done. But because here in Arizona we have that extra thing that needs to be done, that extra documented proof of citizenship — that is not required anywhere else in the country — we find ourselves in this quagmire.”
Fontes assured voters that they had the right to not be harassed at their homes or have others demand identification from them. Fontes said that any harassing of the 218,000 voters would be subject to prosecution.
“If anyone does do this sort of thing, please contact our office or your local law enforcement agency. Voter harassment and intimidation is a violation of the law,” said Fontes.
Fontes said that his office would be contacting the county recorders about voters on the list within the next few days and week. The secretary of state said that their office would work “later this year” to collect the appropriate documentary proof of citizenship.
Fontes discouraged the 218,000 voters on the list from contacting their local election officers presently, due to the busy nature of the ongoing election.
“You are under no obligation whatsoever to provide documented proof of citizenship if you’re on this list,” said Fontes.
Fontes said he is “not happy” with the court order, and blamed the focus on the 218,000 voters on the “lies and conspiracies” by individuals concerned with election integrity, which he characterized as “folks who mean this democracy harm.”
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The last polls before Election Day showed Democratic candidate Ruben Gallego with a slim lead over Republican candidate Kari Lake.
Of the multiple polls conducted over this past weekend, only one showed Lake with a slim lead over Gallego.
Patriot Polling asked over 800 likely voters over the weekend who they would support. Over half — 51 percent — backed Gallego, while 48 percent said they were supporting Lake.
Victory Insights asked over 700 likely voters from last Friday through Sunday who they would support. 50 percent said they would support Gallego, and 47 percent said they would support Lake.
InsiderAdvantage asked 800 likely voters last Friday and Saturday who they would support. 49 percent said Gallego and 47 percent said Lake.
The only polling to show Lake ahead came from Atlas Intel. They asked over 900 likely voters, also on Friday and Saturday, who they would support. 49 percent said Lake while 47 percent said Gallego.
Of the 900 likely voters polled by Emerson College from last Wednesday, 50 percent said they would support Gallego and 45 percent said they would support Lake.
The New York Times and Siena College (polling from October 25 through last Saturday, or nine days total) received the same results as Emerson College when they polled just over 1,000 likely voters.
An average of all polling results from Project FiveThirtyEight show Gallego with a lead of over 49 percent to Lake’s 45 percent.
These latest polling results are consistent with past polling, which have reflected Gallego maintaining a slim lead over Lake.
It would appear that the release of Gallego’s divorce records had no impact on the race, though they were anticipated to measure up as an October surprise and described as “damning” by Lake’s senior advisor Caroline Wren. The records in question contained little beyond what had been covered previously by the media and disclosed voluntarily by Gallego himself. Yavapai Superior Court Judge John Napper described the records as “one of the most garden-variety divorce files” he’d ever come across.
Gallego has built up a consistent lead in the polling, despite recently tellingThe Bulwark that Arizona remains a “center-right state,” more so than a moderate one based on his experiences.
The Democratic candidate told MSNBC over the weekend that Lake would “contest” the election results if she lost.
“What matters though is most Arizonans want to move beyond election denialism,” said Gallego. “What Kari Lake has done is not just funny and weird — it’s actually very corrosive, and it’s dangerous.”
.@RubenGallego: “When we beat Kari Lake, we know she will contest it. What matters though is that most Arizonans… want to move beyond election denialism. They want someone that’s going to be fighting for them, not someone who’s going to just create more division.” pic.twitter.com/1I0t08aaDZ
On Monday, in a late bid to convince the remaining voters to vote for her, Lake’s team released a video taken during one of Gallego’s private fundraisers in which the Democratic candidate admitted that he wasn’t “allowed” to post on his own social media.
“I’m not allowed to tweet out anymore,” said Gallego.
Yikes. If his staff doesn’t trust him with his social media, how can Arizonans trust him with their future? https://t.co/qT7PaI0KBF
Gallego’s team took a different approach on Monday. They posted videos depicting Gallego as a family man capable of having non-political conversations.
The vice president of the Higley Unified School Board, Anna Van Hoek, received a package with an apparent threat of violence from a leftist parent.
The package, sent from Amazon, contained a rope and a book containing sexually explicit content, “Homegoing.” Following a report from Van Hoek, Gilbert Police submitted a warrant to Amazon and identified the sender as Queen Creek mother Lindzie Head.
Lindzie Head sent a copy of “Homegoing” along with a rope to Higley school board member Anna Van Hoek.
Head is a medical technologist (clinical lab scientist) at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center who serves on the Queen Creek Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. She previously held leadership roles with the PTO for Cortina Elementary School and Sossaman Middle School.
Van Hoek has taken stances on issues such as removing dirty books from classrooms and barring boys (identifying as transgender girls) from girls’ sports, in alliance with organizations such as Arizona Women of Action.
The package came after a high school English teacher, Brittany O’Neill, came under investigation for assigning the very book Head sent to Van Hoek, “Homegoing.” The book is a historical fiction addressing slavery that contains a number of passages depicting sex and rape, as well as abuse and drug use.
State law prevents the provision of sexually explicit books unless the materials are deemed educational, and parents give their consent. The Gilbert Police Department notified the district that it was investigating O’Neill over the assignment last month.
In that controversy, Van Hoek sided with the aggrieved parents who believe the book shouldn’t have been assigned to minors due to its content.
Van Hoek said in a statement that Head and her husband, Kyle Head, indicated to police that they have retained legal counsel.
In her statement, Van Hoek also said that she would not tolerate this threatening behavior. Van Hoek advised that she had previously endured an attack on her property: her tire was slashed during a board meeting last October.
“I want to make it unequivocally clear that I will not tolerate this kind of harassment and threats directed not only at myself but also at our district parents,” said Van Hoek. “Everyone has a right to express their concerns and speak out without fear of intimidation.”
Van Hoek also advised that another district parent had received the same sexually explicit book in an anonymous package from Head (confirmed by Gilbert Police) with the following message:
“Read the book and maybe you’ll learn something,” said Head’s message.
The same district parent who received Head’s package reported having his identifying information doxed on social media.
Van Hoek said that no additional information about the incidents could be provided due to an ongoing investigation.
These unwelcome packages appear to be the latest efforts by Head to become more civically involved.
Last May, Head participated in and graduated from the town of Queen Creek’s Citizen Leadership Institute. It was several months after this graduation that she applied for (and was given) the board member role for the Queen Creek Parks and Recreation Board.
Last October, Head wrote an opinion piece for the Daily Independent asking Congress to work in a bipartisan manner and pass the budget.
Head’s Instagram bio reads, “You can sit with me. Here to be unreasonable. Uninformed and relying on hearsay.”
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The nation’s fifth-largest city, Phoenix, is also home to one of the highest eviction rates in the nation.
Rising evictions appear to be a side effect of the city’s burgeoning housing crisis amid a declining economy. A report from the Wall Street Journal released this week highlighted the trend of increased evictions, featuring some of the Phoenicians who underwent evictions recently.
Phoenix has a rate of 16 eviction filings per 100 renter households according to estimates from Eviction Lab, a Princeton University research group that tracks eviction rates in 36 major cities and 10 states across the country.
According to data pulled from American Community Survey and reported by the Eviction Lab, Phoenix has over 583,600 renter households and typical rent averages nearly $1,400 a month.
Per data acquired by Eviction Lab from the Maricopa County Justice Courts, there have been over 285,300 eviction filings since March 2020, with nearly 90,600 of those (31 percent) filed within the past year and over 6,000 (two percent) within the last month. Between January and September, there were nearly 69,000 evictions. Should these evictions keep up with the monthly average of around 7,700 evictions, there would be nearly 92,000 evictions by the year’s end.
There were about 83,200 eviction filings in 2023. The all-time total high for evictions was about 83,700 evictions in 2005. The average eviction judgment from January to September sits at over $3,100, which is less than the $3,400 average of 2023.
Nearly 39,700 of recent years’ evictions were categorized demographically as white neighborhoods, nearly 22,800 were “other” neighborhoods, and over 20,700 were Latino neighborhoods.
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego told the Wall Street Journal that folks should look to the state for reforms on laws allowing such a high rate of evictions.
“We don’t control evictions,” said Gallego.
The increased evictions may curb the small gains the city has made in reducing its homeless population — an aspect of the fast-growing metropolitan area that also incurred national interest.
Maricopa County’s latest Point-In-Time Homeless Count from January reported over 9,400 individuals as homeless in the Phoenix area, a decline from the January 2023 total of over 9,600.
Earlier this year, we reported that the city had spent over $180 million over the course of three years to address its homeless population.
The Arizona Department of Economic Security (ADES) did offer a rental assistance program for families and those over the age of 60 years, but applications closed in August.
ADES also offers resources for emergency short-term housing.
ADES directed those in need of assistance to visit 211, the Short-Term Crisis Services Program, or their local Community Action Agency for other support services.
Community Action Agencies can provide utility or mortgage assistance, eviction or foreclosure prevention assistance, rental deposits, and emergency shelter. ADES warned that these agencies are currently experiencing high demand.
Maricopa County has five Community Action Agencies with multiple locations providing various assistance: Maricopa County Human Services, City of Glendale Community Action Programs, City of Phoenix Human Services, City of Phoenix Family Services Centers, and Mesa Community Action Network.
Those interested in knowing which health and human services programs they qualify for may use the Arizona Self Help questionnaire.
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Grand Canyon University (GCU) will now cover the college costs for over 300 students this academic year.
The university expanded its Canyon Rising Scholarship (formerly the Students Inspiring Students Scholarship) to meet the needs of 305 high-achieving, low-income high school seniors. 100 of those scholarships will also include total coverage of costs for on-campus housing and meal plans.
GCU President Brian Mueller said in a press release that the university had a duty to give back to the community around it by offering opportunities for growth.
“As GCU continues to grow, it is important to the university that the community surrounding it grows along with it,” said Mueller. “Historically, education is the great equalizer in society, providing equality of opportunity for all socioeconomic classes.”
Mueller shared that the majority of students within the scholarship program were first-generation college students and students of color.
“Since this program’s inception, the overwhelming majority of scholarship recipients have been first-generation college students and students of color because that is the demographic of the community in which we reside,” said Mueller.
The scholarship program is open to over 20 high schools in GCU’s inner-city neighborhood.
GCU began its Canyon Rising Scholarship (Students Inspiring Students Scholarship) in 2016. The university initially partnered with Alhambra High School.
GCU has offered over 1,000 scholarships since the program’s inception eight years ago.
Those admitted into the program participate in an honoring ceremony at the start of the school year at GCU’s Global Credit Union Arena, attended by loved ones of the students as well as donors to the program.
GCU revealed in its press release that it plans to expand career counseling efforts to assist these program students for job preparation post-graduation. Jennifer Mitchell, GCU K12 and Collegiate Advancement director, explained that the counseling fulfills GCU’s goal of sustained success to impact not only program participants’ futures but the well-being of their communities.
“Our program leaders will work to connect scholars with real-life work experience in their neighborhood, which means a greater likelihood they’ll stay and be part of the transformation of their community,” said Mitchell.
These scholarships are renewable for up to eight semesters and not subject to GCU CAP policy. In order to be eligible for the next round of Canyon Rising Scholarship grants, students must qualify to receive the maximum Pell Grant amount as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), have a minimum 3.0 unweighted high school GPA, be a graduating senior from an Arizona high school, and be an incoming high school senior starting in the fall 2025-26 academic year.
In order to get started, students must apply to GCU, which doesn’t require an application fee; submit their high school transcripts; meet with their university admissions counselor to review eligibility requirements; complete FAFSA (GCU school code 0010704); and register for courses and begin their degree program at GCU.
Those accepted into the scholarship program must also participate in the Canyon Rising Scholarship Seminar, which equips students with introductions to university management, LEAD support, presentation for success at GCU, and expectations for the school year.
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