Want a Free and Fair Election in Arizona in November? Pay Attention Now.
Want a Free and Fair Election in Arizona in November? Pay Attention Now.
As goes Arizona, so goes Democracy
Election workers are the unsung heroes of democracy, dedicated to making sure you can cast a ballot, that ballots are counted, and that elections are certified.
In Arizona, people are trying to make election workers’ jobs much harder.
Imagine you manage a major retail store. Each holiday season, business (and pressure) hit the roof. You stockpile supplies, fine tune logistical plans, and train thousands of seasonal employees—all so customers have a great experience and sales skyrocket.
Luckily, your company sent detailed guidelines and procedures. You know the rules, the best practices, and the steps to take if something goes wrong. You have your bible.
Now imagine someone sues to take away your bible.
That’s what’s happening to election officials in Arizona, where the Republican Party and its allies have sued to remove the state’s Election Procedure Manual (EPM).
The Arizona Secretary of State sends the EPM to election officials to lay out statewide rules on voter registration, the proper behavior of campaign observers, and how to count and certify votes.
If courts ban the EPM, three things will happen:
There will be fewer voter-friendly accommodations, making it harder to register and to vote.
Officials will have fewer tools to reign in aggressive campaign observers who harass voters and interfere with election volunteers.
Without a playbook to follow when problems arise, there’s an increased risk for confusion and mistakes.
And what basis was there to rush to court and attack a manual that only exists to facilitate an open election? The cases are mainly based on a mere technicality that the State didn’t follow the right procedures when issuing the EPM.[1]
And Arizona is just the beginning. Donald Trump wants to file even more “election integrity” lawsuits to make it harder to vote and harder for election workers to do their jobs.
There’s not a moment to lose. Starting now we must:
Level with those we know who refuse to admit that voting rights & democracy are now partisan issues. People who support the Republican Party for other reasons are supporting all its activities, including its anti-democracy lawsuits.
Support the organizations that defend voting rights and election workers.
Out-organize the other side. While it’s true that we can’t simply hope to register more voters than the other side disenfranchises, organizing is part of the strategy. We need to support voter registration organizations, participate in get-out-the-vote drives, and endorse candidates.
It’s not always obvious what the phrase “democracy is under threat” means. Whatever it means, it certainly includes using the courts to make it harder to vote and for election workers to do their jobs.
Let’s not let that happen. Visit my Resources page to learn how to get involved.
[1] For full information on the other grounds in the RNC’s lawsuit and the related lawsuits filed by the RNC’s allied organizations, visit Democracy Docket’s Arizona case page.