Early voting has officially commenced across the crucial swing state of Arizona.
Arizona political parties are encouraging their voters to cast their ballots as early as possible as the pivotal election in November nears.
The Arizona Democratic Party posted, “ARIZONA: Early voting begins today & your mail-in ballot should arrive soon. We have so much at stake this election – from the presidency to flipping our Republican-controlled state legislature. Make a plan to vote…”
ARIZONA: Early voting begins today & your mail-in ballot should arrive soon.
We have so much at stake this election– from the presidency to flipping our Republican-controlled state legislature.
The Republican Party of Arizona stated, “Early Voting starts TODAY! Don’t wait – cast your vote early for President Trump and Republicans up and down the ballot. Check the status of your ballot and find a vote center near you at Arizona.Vote! EVERY. VOTE. COUNTS.”
Early Voting starts TODAY!
Don’t wait – cast your vote early for President Trump and Republicans up and down the ballot.
The AZGOP also shared a video clip from a recent speech from Chair Gina Swoboda, where she encouraged listeners to vote by mail to avoid any potential issues at the polling locations.
Early voting starts when? TOMORROW!
And you know what doesn’t jam? Your ballot in a signed affidavit envelope, sealed and dropped off early!
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes also promoted the start of early voting in his state, encouraging interested individuals to visit Arizona.Vote “for all your Arizona election needs.”
In the Republican stronghold of Yavapai County, the Recorder there highlighted the beginning of early voting and shared a website for local voters to find locations and time to cast their ballots over the next month.
Additionally, the Pima County Recorder’s Office posted information about early voting in this southern Arizona jurisdiction, including for the 19 early voting sites under its purview.
Early Voting has begun for the November 5 General Election. You can vote in person and Early Ballots have started to be mailed out! You have until 7 pm on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, to return your ballot. Swipe for more info 📷 pic.twitter.com/0m2DXZf24V
— Pima County Recorder's Office (@PimaRecorder) October 9, 2024
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
After a stunning decision by the Arizona Supreme Court that will allow votes to be tabulated for Proposition 140, which would usher in ranked-choice voting, a coalition has formed to defeat the measure.
The NO on Prop 140 Committee, co-chaired by Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb and former Arizona Supreme Court Justice Andrew Gould, has launched a concerted effort to defeat the measure alongside organizations on both sides of the aisle including:
In a statement, Lamb and Gould said, “Special interest groups should not decide how our elections system operates. Arizonans on all sides of the aisle agree: this scheme to transform our elections into a system found in California is a bad idea. We oppose re-writing our Constitution and imposing such a radical, convoluted scheme on Arizonans.”
According to the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, one of the groups involved in the bipartisan coaltion, Prop 140 would do the following if enacted:
“Allows one politician, the Arizona Secretary of State, to decide how many candidates qualify for the general election ballot for every single contest, including his or her own race
Would result in some races where candidates from only one political party appear on the general election ballot
Would force voters to navigate two completely different voting systems on the same ballot, with some races requiring voters to rank candidates and others that do not
Will increase tabulation errors, create longer lines at the polls, and significantly delay election results.”
A former superintendent secretary with Yuma County’s Hyder Elementary School District, Nubia Gonzalez, has been indicted for Theft, Misuse of Public Monies, and Forgery. The indictment comes eight weeks after her arrest in Scottsdale in connection with an elaborate fraud scheme against the Cocopah Middle School Association of Parents and Teachers (APT).
A press release from the Arizona Auditor General revealed that Gonzalez has been indicted on allegations that in December 2020 she “embezzled $2,486 when, 3 months after she was terminated, an illicit District check in that amount was deposited in her business checking account.”
As reported by Fox10, court documents revealed that the Yuma County case “is currently with the AZ Attorney General’s Office,” however, Attorney General Kris Mayes’ Office replied to reports that the AG “cannot comment on this matter at this time.”
On July 3rd, Scottsdale Police received a report of suspected fraud from the president of the Cocopah Middle School APT. After returning from travel outside the U.S., the president had found the organization’s savings account emptied.
Per Fox10, court documents showed, “After she saw this, [the APT president] reached out to the former treasurer to ask her about the zeroed out accounts.” The documents noted also, “[the former treasurer] stated that she had no idea what had happened.”
The two APT officials reached out to the organization’s bank investigators. They discovered that the entire balance of the organization’s accounts had been wiped out in a series of withdrawals from their savings and checking accounts, linked to Gonzalez.
Police reported in the court documents that, “The total combined loss between both accounts was $36,512.09. Banking documents were obtained directly from Wells Fargo personnel, which showed Nubia Gonzalez signing each withdrawal slip.”
According to AZFamily, the group’s president said that Gonzalez was elected as treasurer in April and was given control and signing authority over the group’s accounts at Wells Fargo bank. Only the two of them had access. The authorities said, “It became readily apparent” that the suspect “immediately withdrew the money,” once the president had left. On the same day, Gonzalez reportedly deposited $22,300 into her personal checking account which she subsequently used to pay her own bills including “credit cards and other various accounts.”
The court documents described that Gonzalez allegedly told the president she was moving the group’s funds to a higher-yield interest bearing account, however, none was created per the bank. She reportedly sent doctored screenshots and forged documents supporting this claim.
The authorities wrote, “This was a well-thought out fraud scene, which involved counterfeit and forged banking documents.”
The board members promptly voted to remove Gonzalez from her position as treasurer. She later turned herself in following media reports of the allegations and has been charged with theft, fraudulent schemes, and forgery. Funds totaling $14,212.09 are still unaccounted for according to Scottsdale Police.
Per 12News, Gonzalez is being held on a $40,000 bond in Scottsdale and a $30,000 bond in Yuma County.
In a statement to Fox10 the Cocopah Middle School APT wrote:
“The Cocopah APT would like to express our appreciation to the community at large for all the support shown to us. We are moving forward stronger and more united than ever.
We have added additional security measures and will continue to educate and inform other school parent organizations to learn from this incident and adapt their processes as well. Unfortunately at this time, it does not appear the money will be recovered. We are working hard to raise needed funds for our school and students during our current fundraising campaign for this school year.
This investigation is in the very capable hands of Maricopa County and we thank them as well as the Scottsdale PD for their diligent work in this matter.”
The Democratic candidate for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO), Tamika Wooten, filmed a video for her campaign in the courtroom while on the clock.
Wooten filmed the video last month on September 21, posted to her campaign Facebook page as “A Day in the Life of Tamika Wooten!”.
Wooten explained in her video that she had spoken with LD3 voters at Black Mountain Democrats earlier that morning, and that she was now about to hear the cases of individuals arrested the night before and that morning. Wooten then told viewers that she would speak at Sun City Grand.
“It’s my honor to serve, and it’s all in a day’s work,” said Wooten.
Yikes 🚨
Democrat Tamika Wooten filmed a campaign video in the courtroom … in her judge's robes … while she was on the clock.
As a progressive candidate, Wooten has promised to not prosecute abortionists or criminalize abortions, limit mandatory minimum sentencing, and expand diversion sentencing for the mentally ill and drug addicted who commit crimes or abuse drugs openly. Wooten stated on her campaign website that she would only be prosecuting “serious crimes.”
“I’ll prioritize alternatives to incarceration for minor offenses so we can: reduce prison populations, save millions in taxpayer dollars, [and] give hurting Maricopa County communities a chance to heal,” says Wooten’s campaign website.
In an interview earlier this year, Wooten said that she would treat crimes committed by the mentally ill or drug addicted as “health issues” instead of punishable crimes.
“I want to treat mental illness and substance abuse as a health issue not criminal justice issue and by reallocating our money and creating diversion programs for those who are charged or those who have mental illness,” said Wooten.
Wooten also said she would work to expand programs to end recidivism, such as providing education to prisoners.
MCAO currently engages in diversion programs and prioritizes heavier prosecution for violent crimes. One of the newest programs concerns felony diversion for parents or guardians charged with child abuse, neglect, endangerment, or a related offense whose circumstances of offense relate to substance use, particularly opioid use.
During that interview, Wooten also indicated that she wouldn’t prioritize illegal immigration crimes, instead focusing on “higher-level crimes.”
In a more recent campaign video posted last month, Wooten said that she would refuse to prosecute abortions at all. Wooten said as much during last month’s debate with her Republican opponent, current Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell.
“As your next county attorney, I will always defend your right to choose and our doctors’ right to provide healthcare,” said Wooten in her campaign video.
“A prosecutor does have judicial discretion. I will focus my efforts overall on keeping communities safe, rather than policing a woman’s womb,” said Wooten during the debate.
As AZ Free Newsreported last month, Wooten has a history of erring on the side of criminals. Prior to serving as a judge, Wooten defended human traffickers and pleaded down their cases to reduced sentencing.
In that same reporting, Wooten made remarks in a closed-door meeting promising to not prosecute under the controversial ballot proposal HCR 2060, the “Secure the Border Act.” If approved by voters this November, that proposal would make illegal immigration a state crime, which would allow local law enforcement to make arrests and local judges to order those convicted to leave the country.
“We don’t need to patrol our citizens,” said Wooten.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
An Arizona State Senator is standing against an outrageous depiction of President Donald J. Trump.
Last week, Senator Janae Shamp, a Republican, issued a press release to “condemn the obscene nude statue of President Donald Trump that was hung from a crane in Las Vegas and reappeared most recently in Phoenix.”
In a statement, Shamp said, “How anyone could possibly believe this political stunt is anything more than sick and deplorable is beyond me. Many Americans have recently lost their lives or livelihoods in large areas of our country as a result of hurricane Helene. Our federal government has run out of aid money to assist them after spending nearly $1billion in FEMA funding to aid illegal immigration and the Biden-Harris open border crisis.”
Shamp added, “Hardworking families are struggling to put food on the table because of inflation. American citizens are dying every single day from consuming deadly fentanyl that’s trafficked into our country. Need I say more? We need solutions, and we need unity in this country right now, not dangerous and deplorable political theater. This ‘project’ is a shameful use of anyone’s resources and needs to end now.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
The Veteran Improvement Commercial Driver License Act (S. 656), a bill designed to facilitate the transition of U.S veterans into a field requiring a commercial driver’s license (CDL) through GI benefits, was signed into law on October 1st. The bipartisan legislation, championed by Congressman Eli Crane (R-AZ), was sponsored by Senator Deb Fisher (R-NE) and passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a voice vote on Sep. 25th after passing the Senate by unanimous consent, making it a very rare, truly bipartisan bill.
The new law will exempt newly opened trucking school facilities from an existing regulatory delay of two years, during which the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and state regulators are required to deny the school the ability to process GI benefits, as long as the primary facility has already been approved. This allows existing schools to expand. In effect, this will streamline the opening of new facilities to train more veterans moving into the trucking industry.
Veteran Improvement Commercial Driver License Act signed into law, offering new rules for VA-approved driver education programs.
The Veteran Improvement Commercial Driver License Act of 2023 (S. 656) was signed into law by President Biden on October 1, 2024, becoming Public Law…
According to a press release from Rep. Crane, “This will allow veterans more accessibility to CDL schools, reducing commuting times, leading to high-paying careers in the trucking industry.”
Crane said in a statement, “I’m proud to play a role in expanding opportunities for veterans in rural Arizona. Expanding the scope of GI education benefits to CDL programs is a way to increase opportunities for those who have put their lives on the line for our country. Bureaucratic obstacles should never inhibit our nation’s veterans from having flexibility in building prosperous lives for themselves.”
Proud to be part of the bipartisan coalition that worked to get this bill signed into law.
A no brainer for veterans and the trucking workforce.
Rep. Edwards told reporters, “It’s high time we take meaningful steps toward better supporting a veteran’s transition into the civilian workforce,” according to Landline. “Too many arbitrary rules are impeding a veteran’s ability to achieve the very American dream that they are fighting for others to pursue, but the Veteran Improvement CDL Act helps to eliminate one of those barriers.”
Edwards shared in a 2023 post to X, that the then-proposed bill was endorsed by the American Legion.
Sen. Fischer said in a statement, “Our veterans deserve every opportunity to participate in the American dream they’ve fought to protect. But when their service is over, many veterans face unfair roadblocks when they look for jobs. My legislation makes it easier for veterans to get their CDL licenses and earn a good living.”
As reported by industry publication FleetOwner, the American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear applauded passage of the act through Congress with a statement hailing it as a way to “help veterans secure rewarding careers and alleviate the truck driver shortage.”
He told the outlet, “When the brave men and women in our armed forces return home, the last thing they should have to worry about is red tape preventing them from achieving the American dream that they fought to defend. Improving veterans’ access to CDL programs will open the door of opportunity to good-paying, in-demand jobs in the trucking industry. We are appreciative of the leadership by Senators Fischer and Padilla and Representatives Edwards and Pappas on this important bill, which will help veterans secure rewarding careers and alleviate the truck driver shortage.”
