Disenfranchising Voters is not “Election Reform”

The adage of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” certainly is appropriate for Arizona’s current election laws. Our laws are a model for safe and secure elections. A recent statement by the Greater Phoenix Leadership Council strongly supports this. A group of private-sector CEOs, at the helm of hundreds of thousands of employees in Arizona, recently wrote a letter to Arizona legislators coming out in opposition to Senate Bills 1485, 1593 and 1713. In their letter, they stated that that it “is incumbent upon us to speak out against proposals that could interfere with any Arizonan’s right to vote.” This group has many moderate Republicans in their ranks, including the owner of the Arizona Cardinals. In my view, the Permanent Early Voting List (PEVL) is wonderful! I came from a state where you had to request an absentee ballot for every election. It would be ideal if every registered voter received a ballot in the mail. The one law that I would like to see changed pertains to ballot harvesting (mailing other people’s ballot). This law is especially hard on Arizona citizens who live in rural areas. As it is now, only a caregiver or a household member can mail your ballot. It doesn’t make sense to me that a trusted neighbor couldn’t take in my ballot, if I live in a rural area and can’t drive hours to the polls. These business leaders showed true courage by speaking out. Check out their statement and send them a letter of thanks for their patriotism.