Common Cause Arizona: Advocates Urge Governor to Veto Anti-democracy Bills

Phoenix – Common Cause Arizona, alongside its allies, is calling on Governor Hobbs to veto two key anti-democracy bills that threaten Arizona elections, SB 1066 and HB 2560/SB 1324, which the legislature passed and are now headed to the governor’s desk. 

“As election deniers and conspiracy theorists work to dismantle our elections, we must block any legislation that empowers them to endanger our votes,” said Jenny Guzman, Program Director for Common Cause Arizona. “Governor Hobbs has been defending our democracy at every turn, and we have faith that she will do the right thing and veto the bills that threaten Arizonans’ constitutional rights.”

SB 1066 unconstitutionally calls for restricting requirements on voter registration and early ballot access processes that would negatively impact the number of voters who utilize mail-in ballots or the Active Early Voter List. The bill violates the First Amendment as a content-based restriction on political speech that is not narrowly tailored to serve a legitimate government interest. 

The bill is overly broad, impacting far more speech than necessary to prevent fraud and or the spread of misinformation. Instead, it places unnecessary burdens upon individuals and groups seeking to share accurate election information by adding additional restrictions intended to deter trust between grassroots organizations and the communities they serve.

HB 2560, along with its companion bill, SB 1324, are also known as Arizona’s Voter Privacy Violation Act. The law:

• publicly posts voters’ names, precincts, years of birth, and street addresses.
• posts unredacted ballot images and other voting records before the election is final
• provides tools for election deniers seeking to overrule the will of the voters. 

These companion bills also threaten the personal safety of Arizona voters. The information it makes public is more than enough to identify an individual voter and make them the target of retaliation. This is dangerous for everyone, especially BIPOC voters who have been the target of harassment by election deniers in the past, and even more dangerous for victims of domestic violence and stalking. Not all victims of stalking or domestic violence have the resources needed to be able to register as protected individuals, and the Voter Privacy Violation Act would put those without access to protection resources at further risk of harm. 

Governor Hobbs has until Saturday, May 20th to veto these bills or sign them into law.