The Arizona legislature has passed the combined SB 1011 / HB 2703, sending the bill to the Governor’s desk. SB 1011 and HB 2703 would streamline the state’s election day processes to dramatically speed up election results and bring frustrated voters same-day returns.
To achieve the desired result of a speedier and more precise election outcome, the bills cut off all ballot drop-offs at collection locations to the Friday prior to election day and require voters in Arizona’s most populous counties to confirm their address every election cycle to receive a ballot by mail. For more sparsely populated counties, this would be every four years.
Scot Mussi, President of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, celebrated the passage of the bill saying, “After one too many Election Nights (and weeks) of delayed results, Arizona legislators have done the right thing, crafting a bill that gives our state same-day results.”
He added, “Voters are exhausted of watching this slow-motion train wreck every November. Other states have same-day election results, and it is high time that Arizona enters the 21st Century in this regard. We call on Governor Katie Hobbs to sign this carefully crafted and negotiated bill into law.”
Following the passage of the bill in the State Senate, President Warren Petersen told Fox10, “After the election, we heard from our constituents who were extremely frustrated after waiting days and days to find out who won the election. The first bill to hit the Governor’s desk is a bill that will give us election results the night of the election.”
In a post to X, the AZGOP hailed the passage of the bill and demanded that Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs sign the bill writing, “GREAT NEWS FOR ARIZONA! Both the Arizona House of Representatives and Senate have passed the bill that would give our voters SAME-DAY results in future elections. This is what the people of Arizona have asked for, and our legislators have delivered. Now, it’s up to @GovernorHobbs to listen to the voices of Arizonans who are tired of waiting days and days for the results of critical election races. Governor, leave your partisan politics outside your office and SIGN THE BILL!”
GREAT NEWS FOR ARIZONA!
Both the Arizona House of Representatives and Senate have passed the bill that would give our voters SAME-DAY results in future elections. This is what the people of Arizona have asked for, and our legislators have delivered.
As reported by Fox, Hobbs has voiced serious opposition to the bill, arguing that it makes it harder to vote by cutting off early drop-off and effectively shuttering the state’s Active Early Voting List. “Legislators are attempting to jam through a partisan bill that guts vote by mail and makes it harder to vote,” she claimed. “I offered common sense compromises to count votes faster, and they were rejected. I refuse to let extremists make it harder for Arizonans to vote.”
A bill to amend the Arizona Constitution to prohibit the state, cities, towns, and counties from tracking, taxing, or limiting vehicle miles traveled has passed a House committee and is moving to a floor vote. If approved by the Arizona House and Senate, HCR2035 will bypass Governor Katie Hobbs and go straight to the voters for approval.
Scot Mussi, President of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club (AZFEC) said in a statement, “As we have seen in other states, governments left to their own devices will succumb to radical attempts to track, tax, or limit their citizens’ transportation miles.”
He added, “These environmental schemes have no place in a free and prosperous society. In this divided state government, it is critical for our Republican-led Legislature to proactively send this constitutional amendment to the voters to protect our state from these authoritarian policies. I’m thankful to the lawmakers who have supported this bill, and I look forward to seeing it pass the full House in the near future.”
The measure has been supported by AZFEC since at least March 2024 when the organization warned that “tracking, limiting and taxing our vehicle miles traveled is a dream scenario for those pushing a radical environmental agenda,” citing the Biden administration’s pilot program for a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) tax baked into the Inflation Reduction Act.
In a post to X, the AZFEC explained, “HCR 2035 is the first of its kind in the nation. As a constitutional amendment, it would prohibit the state, cities, towns, and counties from imposing a Vehicle Miles Traveled tax and limiting or monitoring vehicle miles traveled by an individual – whether they are using a gas-powered car or an electric vehicle. If approved by the Arizona House and Senate, the measure would then be transmitted to the Secretary of State to be included on the November 2026 General Election ballot to be considered by voters, bypassing the Governor’s Office.”
🚨Official Statement on House Committee Passage of HCR 2035- Freedom To Move Ballot Referral
Yesterday, the Arizona House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means approved HCR 2035 – the freedom to move ballot referral. The measure passed along party lines. If given the…
In January, the corresponding measure passed the Senate Government Committee as SCR1004 and is now pending a vote on the Senate floor as well. The bill was introduced by Arizona Senator Jake Hoffman.
The Arizona chapter of the Republican Liberty Caucus offered its endorsement of SCR1004 alongside SB1092 which work in tandem.
The Arizona Free Enterprise Club has filed an official complaint with Attorney General Kris Mayes and Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell requesting they take legal action on the almost 40,000 duplicate signatures that were uncovered during the legal challenges to Proposition 140, the Make Elections Fair Arizona Act.
Proposition 140, which would have imposed a mixed system of Ranked Choice Voting and jungle primaries for future elections in Arizona, was defeated in the November election with almost 60% of the vote share.
During the unsuccessful legal challenge against Prop 140’s fraudulent signature gathering in April Smith v. Fontes, a court-appointed Special Master found that, of the original 41,387 pairs of signatures challenged, a total of 37,657 or approximately 99%, were in fact duplicates. Removing these duplications would have driven the proposition 3,300 signatures short of the of the minimum qualification to appear on the Nov. 5th ballot.
The Special Master, Retired Arizona Superior Court Judge Christopher Skelly, found that “Plaintiffs had proved by clear and convincing evidence that 37,657 signatures were duplicates— that the same person had signed more than once.”
Indeed the evidence showed that 253 people signed the petitions five times or more and one individual signed no less than 15 times.
In a letter to Mayes and Mitchell, Scot Mussi, president of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club wrote, “Double or even triple-signing the same initiative petition over the span of several months may well evince merely carelessness or forgetfulness. Signing one’s name five, ten, or even fifteen times, however, is not susceptible to that excuse.”
“There is certainly, at the very least, ample reason to believe that the individuals identified in Exhibit A knowingly violated Arizona law. I accordingly request that your respective offices open an investigation and pursue all appropriate criminal charges.”
You can read the complaint here. You can see the exhibit of duplicate signatures here.
In August, the AZFEC criticized the group behind Proposition 140, the “Make Elections Fair PAC,” with a strong condemnation that the group, which is sought to import “California-style elections to our state—got very creative in their signature gathering efforts. In fact, you could say that in many ways, they excelled in duplicating their work. And that’s exactly why Prop 140 should be invalidated.”
The 16 prominent Republicans prosecuted for their participation in creating an alternate Electoral College slate for the 2020 presidential election are one step closer to having their charges dismissed. Earlier this week, a Maricopa County Judge ruled that Attorney General Mayes may have been politically motivated to charge them.
On Monday, Maricopa County Judge Sam Myers ruled that the defendants successfully demonstrated that the charges against them could comprise an attack on what he deemed is “at least in part some arguably lawful speech.” This ruling could trigger a dismissal through Arizona’s Anti-SLAPP law, a statute designed to prevent legal action launched to suppress free speech. In the text of Arizona’s Anti-SLAPP law, the prosecution must now establish “the legal action on which the motion is based is justified by clearly established law and that the responding party did not act in order to deter, prevent or retaliate against the moving party’s exercise of constitutional rights.” As reported by Courthouse News, Judge Myers said that a statement from Arizona Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes, while announcing the indictment of the 16 Republicans that “this should never happen again,” could potentially show a political motivation to the prosecution.
As the outlet noted, Arizona prosecutors led by Mayes, have 45 days from the date of the ruling to respond to the judge’s ruling and prove to the court that the charges were brought in order to enforce existing Arizona laws and not to suppress the freedom of speech under the First Amendment. Myers said he will rule on the motion to dismiss once he’s received and considered the response. Responding to the ruling, Mayes promised an appeal in a press release saying, “We disagree with this ruling, and we will pursue an appeal.” She reiterated her claim adding, “It is not the lawful exercise of free speech to file forged slates of electors to deprive Arizona voters of their right to vote.”
The defendants in the case include former AZGOP Chair Dr. Kelli Ward, Dr. Michael Ward, former executive director of the AZGOP Greg Safsten, former Arizona State Senator Anthony Kern, former Senate Candidate Jim Lamon, former Cochise County Republican Committee chair Robert Montgomery, former Cochise County Republican Committee chair Samuel Moorhead, Arizona State Senator Jake Hoffman, Turning Point USA COO Tyler Bowyer, and attorneys John Eastman, Rudy Giuliani, Christina Bobb, as well as President Trump’s Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Campaign Aide Boris Epshteyn, and director of Election Day operations Mike Roman.
Following the ruling, Eastman posted to X, “Major ruling in the Arizona electors case this a.m. The new judge just ruled that I met the prima facie case required to dismiss under the anti-SLAPP statute — that is, 1st Amend. rights implicated, & substantial evid. that the prosecution was to retaliate or deter those rights.”
Major ruling in the Arizona electors case this a.m. The new judge just ruled that I met the prima facie case required to dismiss under the anti-SLAPP statute — that is, 1st Amend. rights implicated, & substantial evid. that the prosecution was to retaliate or deter those rights.
Eastman added, “Just to clarify. The AG now has to prove that she wasn’t motivated by desire to retaliate or deter 1A rights. Their brief is due March 25. The judge also rejected the AG’s claim that the anti-SLAPP statute is unconstitutional.”
Fellow defendant Dr. Kelli Ward explained on X, “The court found sufficient showing in the defense’s arguments to warrant moving to stage 2 of the process in AZ’s criminal anti-slapp statute. Now the state has to prove that this case was not politically motivated and they must show that they’re using established precedent and not interpreting the law in new ways.”
Congressman Abe Hamadeh welcomed the families of remaining Israeli hostages from the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack.
In another week, it will be 500 days since the attack occurred.
The family pictured with Hamadeh were Ronen and Orna Neutra for their son, Omer Neutra, a gap-year Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier; Ilana Gritzewsky for her partner, Matan Zangauker; and Moshe Lavi for his brother-in-law, Omri Miran.
“Our hearts are with Ronen and Orna Neutra, Illana Gritzewsky, and Moshe Lavi,” stated Hamadeh. “We will do everything we can to get justice for those lost and bring the remaining hostages back home.”
Congressman Hamadeh had the honor of hosting family members of Israeli hostages still held from the October 7 attacks.
Our hearts are with Ronen and Orna Neutra, Illana Gritzewsky, and Moshe Lavi.
— Office of Congressman Abe Hamadeh (@RepAbeHamadeh) February 12, 2025
Others present were Daniel Lifshitz for his grandparents, Oded and Yocheved Lifshitz; Gal Dalal for his brother, Guy Gilboa-Dalal; and Ilay David for his brother, Evyatar David.
The families were present at the Capitol to participate in a special roundtable dedicated to their situation held by the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday.
Chairman Brian Mast expressed not only hope in the ability of the U.S. to recover the remaining American Israeli hostages, but the necessary duty on the government to recover these hostages to declare the conflict ended.
“Congress and the world must hear from each of you because there are individuals in Washington and across the globe who will deny, and they will whitewash, and they will simply ignore what has taken place. It’s up to us to make sure that does not take place,” said Mast. “They will make excuses for the terrorists who raped and slaughtered 1,200 innocent Israelis and Americans on October 7th. They will make excuses for the animals who continue to hold Americans hostages in Gaza right now as we speak.”
There were other American hostages who were held or killed by Hamas. In addition to Neutra, Gritzewsky, and Miran, those include Itay Chen, Sagui Dekel-Chen, and Gadi and Judi Haggai.
President Donald Trump took credit for Israel taking the ceasefire deal with Hamas several days prior to his inauguration last month. However, that ceasefire may end before a full month of its implementation has passed.
On Monday, Hamas announced its indefinite postponing of the anticipated hostage swap on Saturday. The terrorist group accused Israel of not holding to the ceasefire, claiming the continuation of shooting and delays to the return of Palestinians. Three more hostages were scheduled to be released this Saturday.
The current pace of hostage releases — “in dribs and drabs” — hasn’t satisfied the president.
During his signing of executive orders in the Oval Office on Sunday, Trump promised to reporters this week that “all hell is going to break out” if Hamas fails to release the remaining hostages this week: 76 captives, at least 44 of whom are believed to still be alive. Trump said he believes many of the captives are deceased.
“I think it’s a great human tragedy what’s happened,” said Trump.
Trump indicated the ceasefire would end for the U.S. on Saturday at noon should Hamas not release all hostages by then. Trump did stipulate the ability for Israel to override the U.S. on the ceasefire cancellation.
“Hamas will find out what I mean,” said Trump. “These are sick people, and they’ll find out what I mean Saturday at 12.”
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A group with ties to the terrorist organization Hamas, CAIR-AZ, was invited as honored guests of the Arizona Senate on Tuesday.
CAIR-AZ attended Senate proceedings for a proclamation honoring the deaths in Palestine, Sudan, Congo, and Lebanon.
“This is a historic step for the Muslim community and CAIR-AZ, as we have worked tirelessly to get this proclamation passed,” stated the organization in an Instagram post.
The proclamation, SR1001, declared Arizona’s recognition and mourning of the loss of lives in Palestine, Lebanon, Sudan, and Congo due to the ongoing humanitarian crises. The proclamation declared February to be “a month of remembrance and solidarity” for those countries.
Preceding the proclamation was a prayer from Omar Al-Tawil, an imam at the Islamic Community Center of Tempe and a chaplain for Muslim students at Arizona State University.
SR1001 was introduced by Senator Analise Ortiz and co-sponsored by Sens. Bravo, Diaz, Miranda, and Sundareshan. Ortiz later appeared in photos with the CAIR-AZ activists celebrating the proclamation’s passage.
Those present included Khaled Beydoun, a pro-Hamas activist and Arizona State University associate law professor; Azza Abuseif, executive director of CAIR-AZ, lead organizer of Women’s March Phoenix, and Arizona State Director of NextGen America; Tarteel Alimam, executive administrator at CAIR-AZ; Zakir Siddiqi, co-chair of the Arizona Green Party and co-owner of the WhereUBean Coffee; and former lawmaker Martín Quezada, now the lawyer for CAIR-AZ.
Also present were representatives for the activist organizations AZ AANHPI for Equity, Our Instituto, AZ PACC, Progress Arizona, One Arizona, Comunidad Maya Pixan Ixim, and CHISPA Arizona.
In a press release, CAIR-AZ took credit for SR1001’s passage.
“At a time when the world bears witness to immense suffering and injustice, it is crucial to recognize and remember those who have perished due to violence, conflict, and humanitarian crises,” said Abuseif.
The inclusion of the group resulted in ire from Arizonans witnessing the display.
“Who’s bright idea was it to let terrorist-simps spread their propaganda on the AZ Senate floor?” asked one Arizonan.
Nice job by the @AZSenateGOP to let CAIR (a Hamas-linked group per US government) to hijack the floor of the Arizona Senate today!
Who’s bright idea was it to let terrorist-simps spread their propaganda on the AZ Senate floor?🤢🤮
In addition to advocating for Hamas, CAIR-AZ has taken to protesting against immigration enforcement efforts. The group participated in a protest against SB1164, or the “Arizona ICE Act.” This legislation allows the U.S. Attorney General to enter into agreements with state and local law enforcement for the purpose of enforcing federal immigration laws. This would enable Arizona law enforcement to investigate, apprehend, and detain illegal aliens.
CAIR-AZ also advocated against Proposition 314, the “Secure the Border Act” approved by voters last November. The proposition requires state and local agencies to verify immigration status prior to giving out government benefits, makes it a crime for illegal aliens to apply for government benefits with false information, and enhances punishments for selling fentanyl produced outside the U.S. A portion of the proposition directing law enforcement to arrest illegal aliens remains unenforceable due to court orders in other states.
The national affiliate for CAIR-AZ, CAIR, is an entity of the Muslim brotherhood linked to Hamas activities.
CAIR leaders celebrated the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel.
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