On Monday, GOP leaders for both legislative chambers’ elections committees announced additional election transparency measures in an agreement with the Phoenix-based ballot production and distribution company, Runbeck Election Services (RES).
State Rep. Alexander Kolodin (R-LD03), vice chair of the House Elections Committee, and State Sen. Wendy Rogers (R-LD07), chair of the Senate Elections Committee, shared in a press release that RES entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) guaranteeing an observation program, software audits, an election workflow report from RES, and access to 2022 election data.
Kolodin further revealed in the press release that RES also agreed to cage the ballot sorters, contingent on legislative appropriation. The MOU dates back to last Wednesday.
“This agreement represents a significant advancement in our ongoing efforts to ensure the security and integrity of Arizona’s elections,” said Kolodin. “I appreciate the cooperation of Runbeck’s new ownership and their willingness to provide greater transparency — the foundation of public trust and confidence.”
Fresh off our last win, Runbeck has now agreed to significant new transparency measures as a result of our investigation! TY to the new ownership for their cooperation + commitment to restoring public trust. pic.twitter.com/I48zwUOOpW
— Rep. Alexander Kolodin (@realAlexKolodin) March 4, 2024
By “new ownership,” Kolodin was likely referring to the company whose president and CEO is Mihai Toma, brother to House Speaker and congressional candidate Ben Toma (R-LD08). Last August, RES sold a majority stake in the company to Lincoln Shields, a subsidiary of Black Mountain Investment Company (BMIC), whose president and CEO is Mihai Toma.
RES said in a statement that the speaker has no stake in RES and was unaware of the purchase until shortly prior to its occurrence. The speaker pledged to divest his financial interest in BMIC, reported to be over $100,000, around the time of the sale.
The RES CEO is Jeff Ellington, appointed to the position in 2021 after serving for about a decade in various executive capacities. Under Ellington, RES reported significant growth in its ballot mailing operations: from 3.5 million in 2016 to 16 million in 2020. According to the company, at least 45 percent of registered voters in the nation “touch[ed]” one of their products in 2020.
Under the MOU, RES agreed to allow up to three observers each from the state’s Republican and Democratic parties onsite during the primary and general election days to watch in-bound mail packet sorting activity via the loading dock and the camera feeds viewing the loading dock, sorting areas, and ballot storage room entrances; a House-led audit of signature verification and ballot duplication software licensed to Maricopa County, which will be completed this year and made public; a RES report published prior to the upcoming August primary outlining its scope of work and election workflow with Maricopa County and other state election agencies, complete with chain of custody documents, as well as RES documents completed and returned to Maricopa County; and onsite access to up to two legislative observers to view RES’ general election night loading dock video footage from 2022.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
A bill to help educate Arizona students about the history of communism is one step closer to the Governor’s desk.
On Thursday, the Arizona House of Representatives passed HB 2629, which “establishes November 7 of each year as Victims of Communism Day and requires the State Board of Education to create a list of recommended resources for mandatory instruction on the topic in certain public school courses” – according to the chamber. The proposal was sponsored by Speaker Ben Toma and received a vote of 33-26 (with one seat vacant).
✅FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE✅ House Speaker @RepBenToma Thanks Republican Colleagues for Passing Bill to Remember Victims of Communism, While Most Democrats Unite in Opposition
“Teaching Arizona students about the evils of communism shouldn’t be a partisan issue, yet here we are.… pic.twitter.com/bazWymr1dd
In a statement, Toma said, “Teaching Arizona students about the evils of communism shouldn’t be a partisan issue, yet here we are. Thankfully, Republicans get it. As someone who lived in communist Romania, I can attest that Marxist ideology has left a lasting scar on our world. For more than 100 years and over 100 million lives lost, the legacy of communism is death, oppression, deprivation, economic suffering, and families being torn apart. It’s important to educate about this dark history, to ensure that the atrocities of communism are never forgotten, and future generations can learn from those who suffered in the past and gain a deeper appreciation for the democratic principles that underpin our free society.”
According to the State House of Representatives, if the bill was enacted, the “State Board of Education (SBE) would be tasked with developing a list of recommended resources on the history of communism that align with academic standards in statute. Starting in the 2024-2025 school year, high school taking American government courses will have at least 45 minutes of classroom instruction on the history of global communist regimes, encompassing figures such as Mao Zedong, Joseph Stalin, Fidel Castro, Vladimir Lenin, Pol Pot, and Nicolas Maduro. Students would learn about how victims suffered under such regimes, through poverty, starvation, forced migration, lethal violence, and the suppression of speech.”
Only two House Democrats supported the proposal on the floor, which was something that Representative Quang Nguyen, the bill’s cosponsor, highlighted. Nguyen stated, “I think if my colleagues on the other side of the aisle grew up under a communist regime, as Ben and I both did, this vote would have been unanimous. Opposing the education of Arizona students on the history of communism and those who have suffered from it is an extreme and shameful position that’s hard for Democrats to defend. And it’s certainly far from where most Arizona parents stand.”
LOOK AT THE NO VOTES!!! HB2629: Establishes November 7 of each year as Victims of Communism Day and requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to create a list of recommended resources for mandatory instruction on the topic in certain public school courses.
On the Arizona Legislature’s Request To Speak system, representatives from the Arizona Education Association and Save Our Schools Arizona, signed in opposition to the bill.
Last month, the legislation passed the House Judiciary Committee with a 6-3 vote. All Republicans voted in favor, and all Democrats voted to oppose.
HB 2629 now heads to the Arizona Senate for consideration.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Arizona voters may have the opportunity to help crack down on illegal immigration if the state legislature refers a new measure to the ballot.
Last week, the House Appropriations Committee passed HCR 2060, which was sponsored by Speaker Ben Toma. The proposal would “submit a proposition to the voters relating to employment and the use of the E-Verify program,” according to the overview provided by the State House.
"We may not be able to do the federal government's job, but we can definitely stop Arizona from becoming like California. Our message to illegal immigrants is simple: if you want to take advantage of Americans, go somewhere else."
In a statement accompanying the announcement of this introduction, Speaker Toma said, “We need to ensure illegal aliens don’t stay in Arizona to illegally obtain work and free benefits. The invasion of illegals into our country is a cultural and financial catastrophe! It is incumbent upon Arizona to do its part to ensure that if you break our laws, there are real consequences. We need to make sure illegal aliens can’t take advantage of hardworking American pocketbooks.”
On Monday, Toma held a press conference outside the state capitol with fellow members of the Legislature. Afterwards, he posted on the platform “X,” “Today, I announced my ballot referral to crack down on illegal immigration. The ‘Protecting Arizona Against Illegal Immigration Act’ expands the use of E-Verify and cuts off welfare programs to illegal aliens. If the Biden Administration won’t provide deterrents to stop the illegal invasion, Arizona will.”
Today, I announced my ballot referral to crack down on illegal immigration. The "Protecting Arizona Against Illegal Immigration Act" expands the use of E-Verify and cuts off welfare programs to illegal aliens. If the Biden Administration won't provide deterrents to stop the… pic.twitter.com/L5jofTfNis
According to Speaker Toma, HCR 2060 would accomplish the following:
Make it a class 6 felony to knowingly assist illegal aliens in their efforts to break the law.
Give Arizona’s law enforcement agencies greater resources to enforce immigration laws by instituting tough financial penalties for violations ($10,000 per offense).
Require any state funded government agency or program which provides social welfare benefits to individuals to run them through E-Verify.
Require businesses to run E-Verify when hiring independent contractors for the first time.
Require any state agency that issues documentation, licensing, accreditation, or identification that is not immigration related to run an applicant through E-Verify.
Democrats on the committee expressed their strong opposition to the Speaker’s legislation. Representative Lorena Austin said, “I’m proud to serve with other members of the SB 1070 generation. We got involved, we got educated, we’re here now and we’re not going anywhere because we’re here to protect the rights of all Arizonans.”
Powerful vote by @LorenaAustin4Az opposing anti-immigrant measure HCR2060. “I’m proud to serve with other members of the SB1070 generation. We got involved, we got educated, we’re here now and we’re not going anywhere because we’re here to protect the rights of all Arizonans.” pic.twitter.com/SoPAeVBI8W
Representative Marcelino Quiñonez added, “This sort of rhetoric, this sort of branding does not benefit Arizona. This is not who we are anymore.”
“This sort of rhetoric, this sort of branding does not benefit Arizona. This is not who we are anymore.” Rep. @Marcelino4AZ shares his immigrant story and his no vote on divisive and backwards-looking HCR2060. pic.twitter.com/71vFCK2qLr
On the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system, a representative from Heritage Action for America signed in support of Toma’s measure. Representatives from Chicanos Por La Causa, Living United for Change in Arizona, CHISPA Arizona, American Civil Liberties Union of AZ, State Conference NAACP, Rural Arizona Action, All Voting is Local Action, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona, and WM E Morris Institute for Justice, indicated their opposition to HCR 2060.
HCR 2060 awaits final action in the State House of Representatives. If passed by both chambers, it would appear on the November General Election ballot.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
If Adrian Fontes likes spending time in court, he’s going to have a fun time in 2024. In case you’ve lost count, Arizona’s Secretary of State has been sued three times over his Elections Procedures Manual (EPM) in just the last two weeks. That’s what happens when you produce one of the most radical EPMs in Arizona’s history.
At the end of January, Senate President Warren Petersen and House Speaker Ben Toma filed a lawsuit against Fontes over a variety of provisions in his EPM that violate or conflict with current election laws in our state. But the party was just getting started.
Last week, the Arizona Republican Party, the Republican National Committee, and the Yavapai County GOP also sued Fontes for his blatant attempt to rewrite election law through his EPM. And on the same day, we filed our own lawsuit against Fontes over the promulgation of certain unlawful rules set forth in his EPM.
The reality is that, in his role as Secretary of State, Adrian Fontes is supposed to provide an EPM that gives impartial direction to county recorders to ensure uniform and correct implementation of election law. Instead, he prescribed certain rules without the power to do so and moved forward with an EPM that contains several “rules” that are unconstitutional.
On Monday, the Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus announced that President Warren Petersen and House Speaker Ben Toma had filed a lawsuit against the Biden Administration’s “unlawful, dictator-style land grab last summer in northern Arizona.” The challenge, which “attempts to reverse Biden’s confiscation of nearly a million acres of land within Coconino and Mohave Counties,” was launched in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.
🚨FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: President @votewarren Leads Coalition in Legal Battle Against Joe Biden's Unlawful, Dictator-Style Land Grab in Arizona
Back in August 2023, President Joe Biden visited Arizona to establish the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. In his signed proclamation, Biden stated, “Protecting the areas to the northeast, northwest, and south of the Grand Canyon will preserve an important spiritual, cultural, prehistoric, and historic legacy; maintain a diverse array of natural and scientific resources; and help ensure that the prehistoric, historic, and scientific value of the areas endures for the benefit of all Americans.”
“This federal confiscation promises to wreak havoc on our local and state economies, jeopardize the livelihoods of our citizens, and compromise national security, all in an attempt to score cheap political points with radical environmentalists,” said President Petersen. “Biden’s maneuver is incredibly disingenuous, as it has nothing to do with protecting actual artifacts. Instead, it aims to halt all mining, ranching, and other local uses of federal lands that are critical to our energy independence from adversary foreign nations, our food supply, and the strength of our economy.”
Petersen highlighted the lack of defense against Biden’s executive overreach from the state’s Democrat attorney general, which has been a common refrain from legislative Republicans over the past few months. He said, “Needless to say, I’m incredibly disappointed our Attorney General has once again failed to carry out the duties of her office in defending our state against this reckless federal overreach and is instead showing her complicity with Biden’s extremist agenda. Nonetheless, we look forward to prevailing in court and for the president’s abuse of power to be reined in.”
Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee, another Republican, also joined in the lawsuit. According to a press release sent from her office, Yee signed on “as she is responsible for the receipt and investment of all revenue from Arizona state trust land.”
I am suing the Biden Administration for violation of the Antiquities Act. Biden's unlawful land grab will directly affect our economy and the livelihoods of our citizens by devaluing state trust lands. It must be stopped.
— Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee (@AZTreasurerYee) February 12, 2024
In a statement that accompanied her announcement, Yee said, “We must protect the value of state trust lands for the future of Arizona. This unlawful land grab by the Biden Administration will directly affect Arizona’s economy and the livelihoods of our citizens. The Federal Government needs to compensate the permanent school fund for the tens of thousands of trust land parcels left economically isolated by the stroke of the pen by President Biden. This big hand of government will hurt our K-12 education beneficiaries the most.”
Yee added, “The suit affirms that Congress passed the Antiquities Act to protect just that: antiquities. It did not pass the law to allow the Biden Administration to declare every inch of federal land a monument.”
Mohave County and the towns of Colorado City and Fredonia also joined the Arizona Legislature and the Treasurer’s Office in the lawsuit.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
