by Matthew Holloway | Oct 6, 2024 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
On Thursday, America First Legal announced that the organization has launched a lawsuit against Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and the Secretary of State’s Office on behalf of Strong Communities Foundation of Arizona, also known as EZAZ.org. The foundation and America First Legal contend that by refusing to release a list of more than 218,000 individuals who illegally registered to vote without providing proof of citizenship, Fontes is violating the law.
The flaw at the center of both cases was revealed to the Arizona voters when Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer realized the flaw’s implication, that tens of thousands of people were on the voter list without proof of citizenship, and brought an Emergency Petition to the Arizona Supreme Court.
As previously reported by AZ Free News, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled on Sep. 20th that almost 98,000 Maricopa County voters whose citizenship documents got caught up in a coding error will be allowed to vote the full ballot.
According to America First Legal, in a matter of hours, AFL filed a public records request on behalf of EZAZ.org calling on Fontes to produce the list of voters he had identified as being unlawfully registered. Fontes denied the request and unleashed a bizarre accusatory response through his attorney.
AFL wrote, “Rather than treating constituents with respect and decorum, their response was a bombastic tirade that invoked a bizarre conspiracy theory accusing EZAZ.org of secretly planning to harass the voters on the list. There is, of course, no evidence to support Secretary Fontes’s conspiracy theory, and EZAZ.org has no intention of harassing anyone. Secretary Fontes also feebly claimed that compiling the list would be too hard for his staff. None of these excuses hold water. Fontes’s staff has already compiled the list–that’s how they know the number of affected voters. And there is no risk that these voters will be harassed–EZAZ.org’s mission is all about protecting voters.”
James Rogers, America First Legal Senior Counsel, explained in a statement, “There have been major failures in the administration of just about every general election in Arizona from 2016 until now. It’s no wonder that Arizonans’ trust in their electoral system is at an all-time low. And every time anyone expresses concern, how does Secretary Fontes react? Victim blaming.”
“His patronizing response is always to attack voters for caring about the integrity of their system and expecting that public officials follow the law. But how can Arizonans trust their elections when the person in charge of administering them is so fervently opposed to basic transparency? That is not what Arizonans expect from their elected leaders. The law requires Secretary Fontes to produce these records, and AFL will work to hold him accountable until he does,” said James Rogers.
In the text of the lawsuit, AFL argues, “By refusing public access to these records, the Defendants frustrate the core purpose of the Public Records Law, to ‘monitor the performance of the government officials.’” The suit continues, “And because these records deal with a pressing issue of immediate public concern, time is of the essence. The Defendants should be ordered to immediately fulfill Plaintiff’s public records request.”
In a letter responding to the request, cited by the New York Post, the Secretary of State’s Office said, “We fear, especially based on SCF’s filings, that its true desire here is not to keep watch on government actions — which our public records laws are designed to facilitate — but instead harass and intimidate voters in the midst of an election and whose rights Secretary Fontes has already vindicated before Arizona’s highest court.”
Stephen Miller, former Senior Advisor to President Donald Trump and America First Legal President said in a statement, “America First Legal continues to lead the fight for election integrity. We are suing the state of Arizona for refusing to provide the list of 218,000 voters who failed or refused to establish citizenship. It is absolutely imperative that we stop the dire threat of illegal alien voting, which is the gravest form of foreign election interference.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Daniel Stefanski | Oct 6, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Before a resolution came about for a major union strike in the United States, one Arizona lawmaker was working on a proposal to provide some relief to his constituents.
Earlier this week, State Representative David Cook sent a letter to Mexico’s Consul General Yescas Mendoza to suggest “collaboration to explore diverting container shipments to Mexican ports, allowing goods to enter the United States through Arizona’s land ports of entry in an effort to minimize the economic impact of the union-led strike.”
The strike of approximately 45,000 American port workers impacted 36 ports. Many within the country were bracing for severe economic consequences due to these actions.
Cook said, “With the current port closures, we need creative solutions to ensure vital goods continue to flow and to minimize economic disruptions. Working with our Mexican partners to use their ports offers a practical solution that benefits both our states’ and national economies. It is crucial that we keep the lines of trade open, and I am confident this proposal can help reduce strain on our supply chains until U.S. ports are operational again.”
In his letter to the Mexican Consul General, Cook wrote, “I believe that by temporarily diverting shipping vessels to Mexican ports, we can alleviate the pressure caused by U.S. port closures and help maintain the flow of goods into Arizona and other affected regions. Mexican ports, such as those in Mazatlán could provide the logistic support necessary to manage this redirection, allowing for a more seamless transition of goods into the U.S. via Arizona’s land ports of entry. This approach could serve as a valuable stopgap measure until the strike is resolved.”
The fears about the lasting effects of this strike proved to be short-lived, as the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd. quickly came to a “tentative agreement on wages.” Both entities announced their decision to “extend the Master Contract until January 15, 2025 to return to the bargaining table to negotiate all other outstanding issues.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Oct 6, 2024 | News
By Staff Reporter |
It seems that Arizonans are keenly aware of their position as a major swing state for the upcoming election just one month away.
Arizonans ranked the third-highest in Google searches for voter registration following the vice presidential debate on Tuesday between Democratic running mate Governor Tim Walz and Republican running mate Senator JD Vance.
The discovery of these search ratings was made by Final Round AI, which analyzed Google Trends data for the impact the Walz-Vance debate had throughout the country.
The company’s CEO, Michael Guan, said in a press release that the vice presidential debate was less impactful on search spikes than the presidential debate last month.
“With the vice-presidential debate between Governor Walz and Senator Vance on Tuesday, we wanted to see how this affects interest in voter registration topics. We found the debate had caused the third-highest spike in searches so far, behind the spike on September 10 after the presidential debate between Vice President Harris and former President Trump. The largest spike on September 17 came in the wake of the second assassination attempt on Donald Trump,” said Guan. “We also found that Georgia looked up voter registration the most, and Atlanta was the most interested metro area in the wake of the debate.”
The data from Final Round AI doesn’t traditionally align with the company’s purpose: their company provides an AI copilot for interviewees to land their desired jobs. Guan said that they applied their technology to bring awareness to misinformation spread by AI impacting politics.
“Voters must be wary of potential misinformation in this intense period, with the advent of AI making it much easier for people to make fake news,” said Guan. “AI has advanced to such a degree that convincing audio and video recordings can be easily made. We urge voters to take care and check that their information comes from trusted, unbiased sources. If news hasn’t come through official channels yet, it is better to wait rather than risk accidentally spreading misinformation.”
As for metro locations, Tucson ranked the fourth highest and Phoenix tied for ranking the eleventh highest.
The top ten metro areas for searches concerning voter registration were, in order: Atlanta, Georgia; Austin, Texas; Fairbanks, Alaska; Tucson; Columbus, Ohio; San Antonio, Texas; Waco/Temple/Bryan, Texas/Lafayette, Indiana; Wilmington, North Carolina; and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina.
Georgia was ranked first, and Ohio was second. After Arizona, the top ten searches occurred in Washington, D.C., North Carolina, Texas, Arkansas, Indiana, and Nebraska/Pennsylvania tied for ninth.
However, Arizona didn’t rank as a state or by metro areas in terms of searches for “who won the debate.”
In order, those top ten states were Minnesota, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Iowa.
The top ten metro areas who topped search engines for asking who won the debate were, in order: Duluth, Minnesota/Superior, Wisconsin; Alpena Michigan; Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota; Bend, Oregon; Wausau-Rhinelander, Wisconsin; Rochester, Minnesota/Mason City, Iowa/Austin, Minnesota; Juneau, Alaska; Mankato, Minnesota; La Crosse/Eau Claire Wisconsin; and Ottumwa, Iowa/Kirksville, Missouri.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Oct 5, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
A new poll has President Trump with another slight lead over his Democrat opponent in the Grand Canyon State as the November General Election approaches.
Emerson College Polling recently released its latest round of swing state surveys, showing former President and current Republican candidate for Commander in Chief, Donald J. Trump, with a narrow lead over Democrat candidate and current Vice President, Kamala Harris.
The poll, which was conducted September 27-28, has Trump up on Harris by three percent (50-47%). Emerson College Polling considered the responses of 920 likely Arizona voters to compose its results.
Some of the findings of the Arizona polling included the following:
- 37% of respondents approved of the job Joe Biden is doing as President, compared to 55% who disapproved.
- 40% approved of the job Katie Hobbs was doing as Arizona Governor, compared to 38%.
- Just over two percent of voters were undecided between Trump and Harris in the survey. Of those undecideds, 78% of respondents leaned toward Trump.
- Harris had a 49% favorable rating, compared to 51% unfavorable.
- Trump had a 49% favorable rating, compared to 51% unfavorable.
- The top two issues concerning voters in the survey were the economy (jobs, inflation, and taxes) and immigration.
- 53% of voters believed that Trump would be better for their personal financial situation, compared to 43% for Harris.
- 57% of respondents thought their communities were less safe than five years ago, compared to 19% who thought their neighborhoods were more safe.
- 60% of voters felt their economic situation was worse than it was five years ago, compared to 26% who felt it was better.
- 52% of respondents believed the U.S. government was spending too much on military aid for Ukraine, compared to 16% who believed there was too little American dollars for Ukraine.
Arizona’s eleven electoral votes will be critical for either candidate to win in the quest to hit 270 to win the White House.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Oct 5, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanksi |
Arizonans looking for more information about a ballot measure that addresses the state’s growing homelessness issues can access vital research from a local think tank organization.
Late last month, the Common Sense Institute Arizona (CSI) released a report “on the economic and fiscal impact of Proposition 312, finding that there is indeed a link between the increase in homelessness and declining property values.”
According to CSI, “Proposition 312 is aimed at tackling Arizona’s growing homelessness crisis, offering property owners the opportunity to receive tax relief for costs incurred due to unmitigated public nuisances, such as homelessness, vandalism, property crime, and drug use.”
The report from CSI found “that under the status quo, property owners in areas with unmitigated public nuisances are seeing their values decrease in real value [while] homelessness is on the rise.”
“The rising rates of crime, homelessness, and drug activity in key areas of Phoenix appear to have taken a toll on property values and overall economic activity,” said Glenn Farley, Director of Policy & Research for CSI. “In this kind of environment of declining relative property values and higher crime rates, there are ongoing problems requiring mitigation – like security and cleanup costs. In practice, though, the real impact is likely to be preventive: local governments may ultimately be more proactive about mitigating these nuisances if this proposal is enacted than they are today.”
The Arizona-based Goldwater Institute took a position in support of Proposition 312 ahead of the November General Election. On its website, the influential organization wrote, “We saw it in Phoenix’s homeless Zone when the city allowed lawlessness to run wild. We saw it in Tucson, too. Amid rampant homelessness, hardworking Arizona taxpayers are being forced to bear the burden of a city’s refusal to do its duty to protect public health and safety, paying out of pocket to install fences, hire security, clean up garbage, human waste, and other hazardous materials themselves. Prop 312 ensures that when government fails to enforce existing laws regarding illegal camping, loitering, pollution, and other nuisances, taxpayers will no longer be forced to foot the bill.”
Proposition 312 was made possible by the Arizona State Legislature earlier this year, when Republicans led the way to pass HCR 2023, which, if eventually passed by state voters in November, would “allow a property owner to apply for a primary property tax refund if the owner documents expenses caused by a city, town or county adopting a policy, pattern or practice which declines to enforce existing laws or the maintaining of a public nuisance” – according to the overview provided by the state House.
In a statement after the successful passage of the bill out of his chamber, Senate President Warren Petersen said, “There are instances where local governments routinely and repeatedly fail their citizens by not enforcing laws. An example of this would be the City of Phoenix’s handling of the former homeless encampment known as ‘The Zone.’ This area was not only a public safety and public health disaster for those who camped there, but it was also a detriment to the livelihoods of small business owners who set up their shops in the area.”
Petersen added, “Money talks, and as a way to encourage municipalities to enforce the law, Speaker Toma and I teamed up to sponsor HCR 2023/SCR 1006. This measure is a ballot referral that would protect law-abiding citizens. If approved by voters, property owners would be allowed to request a refund for expenses incurred to mitigate the problem, up to the amount of their property tax liability. The funds would be deducted from the local government’s state shared revenue.”
The chamber’s president also noted that “all Senate Democrats voted ‘no’” on the referral.
The key findings from CSI about Proposition 312 are as follows:
- “Problem increasing: Crime, drug overdoses, unsheltered homelessness, and other public nuisances have risen dramatically in Arizona and the greater Phoenix area since 2019. But the impacts are disproportionate: the problem has become more visible in certain parts of the city. This creates a negative economic impact for those parts of the city where local officials have failed to enforce existing laws
- “Property Value Loss: Commercial properties in Phoenix affected by unmitigated public nuisances have seen market rent appreciation fall to just 15.7% between 2019 and 2023, compared to the citywide rate of 30.2%. This represents up to $2.1 billion in lost property value due to slower appreciation in areas with high levels of homelessness, crime, and public nuisances.
- “Increased Crime: In areas with high public nuisance activity, the average crime rates for drug offenses, burglaries, robberies, and arson were between 3 to 5 times higher than the Phoenix average, driving up costs for property owners due to increased security measures and property damage.
- “Impact on Businesses: Businesses located in areas with elevated public nuisance levels experience significantly lower property appreciation and higher vacancy rates. The economic toll of unmitigated public nuisances has made it harder for businesses to thrive in these areas.”
During the legislative process this year, representatives from Barry Goldwater Institute for Public Policy Research, QuikTrip, Arizona Free Enterprise Club, Arizona Chamber of Commerce, Arizona Food Marketing Alliance, and the National Federation of Independent Business, indicated their support for the proposal on the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system. Representatives from the League of Arizona Cities & Towns, Living United for Change in Arizona, Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona, Arizona Association of Counties, County Supervisors Association of Arizona, Arizona Housing Coalition, and several state cities and towns, signed in to oppose the measure.
Interested voters can read the full CSI report regarding Prop 312 here.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Oct 4, 2024 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Are you registered to vote, and is your voter registration correct? If not, then it’s time to make a plan.
The deadline to register to vote in Arizona is Monday, October 7 by close of business day in person at your local election office, by 11:59 pm MST online, or postmarked by that day for mail-in registration.
Arizonans with a valid driver’s license or state ID may register to vote online, in person, or by mail.
In order to be eligible to vote a full ballot (not federal elections only), you must provide proof of citizenship by mail with your voter registration form by 5 pm MST on the Thursday before Election Day, which falls on Halloween (October 31) this year. Proof of citizenship includes your driver’s license or state ID, birth certificate, photo ID page of U.S. passport or passport card, U.S. certificate of naturalization or alien registration number, or Bureau of Indian Affairs or Tribal ID card.
In person locations to return your voter registration are at your county recorder’s offices.
If you need to register to vote through mail, you may print off the voter registration form online or request the registration form be mailed to you by your county recorder.
Voter registration cards may take 4-6 weeks to appear in the mail.
Absentee ballot deadlines are October 25 by 5 pm MST for requesting ballots, November 5 by 7 pm MST for returning your ballot by mail or in person. The last day to mail your ballot in is October 29.
Early voting begins October 9 — which is also the day ballots will be mailed and drop boxes for mail-in ballots will be made available — and ends November 1.
All in-person voting requires voters to show proof of identity before receiving a ballot. Voters must provide their name and place of residence to the election official and either:
- Provide one form of the following ID options: valid Arizona driver’s license, valid Arizona non-operating ID card, tribal enrollment card or other form of tribal ID, valid U.S. federal, state, or local government-issued ID;
- Provide two different forms of the following ID options: utility bill of the elector that is dated within 90 days of the date of the election (a utility bill may be for electric, gas, water, solid waste, sewer, telephone, cellular phone, or cable television); bank or credit union statement that is dated within 90 days of the date of the election; valid arizona vehicle registration; indian census card; property tax statement of the elector’s residence; tribal enrollment card or other form of tribal identification; arizona vehicle insurance card; recorder’s certificate; valid united states federal, state, or local government-issued identification, including a voter registration card issued by the county recorder; any mailing to the elector marked “official election material”;
- Provide a mix of the following ID options: Any valid photo identification from the first list in which the address does not reasonably match the precinct register accompanied by a non-photo identification from the second list in which the address does reasonably match the precinct register; U.S. Passport without address and one valid item from the second list; U.S. Military identification without address and one valid item from the second list.
Members of federally recognized tribes aren’t required to have an address or photo on their tribal ID in order to cast a provisional ballot.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 5.
Military and overseas voters’ ballots were mailed on September 21. These uniformed and overseas voters may use their own designated portal through the secretary of state’s office to request to register to vote and/or request a mail-in ballot, as well as upload their voted ballot. These voters may also fax their completed ballots to 602-364-2087 before the Election Day deadline of 7 pm MST.
Check the Arizona Voter Information Portal if you would like to:
- Check your voter registration status;
- Subscribe or manage voter registration alerts;
- Find your polling locations;
- Sign up to be a poll worker;
- Request a ballot by mail;
- Check the status of your mail-in ballot or early ballot;
- Check the status of your provisional ballot;
- Submit a public records request;
- Submit a petition request;
- Or, respond to notice.
Ballot tracking for 13 of Arizona’s 15 counties is offered through the Ballot Trax. Maricopa and Pima counties offer their own ballot tracking and notification services through their own recorder’s website.
Others to utilize the tracking tool are California, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Washington, D.C. Select counties in other states (Oregon, Alaska, Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee, Florida, Virginia, New Jersey, and Maryland) also use this ballot tracking service.
Should your mail-in ballot be lost or damaged, you may request a replacement ballot by mail or in person. If through the former, you must contact your county recorder’s office no later than 11 days prior to Election Day, which would be Friday, October 25 this year. If through the latter, you may visit a voting location on or before Election Day to cast your vote in person.
Any further questions may be submitted through your county recorder’s office, or the secretary of state’s office (email elections@azsos.gov or call 1-877-THE-VOTE).
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
