Feb 28, 2022:
Three days ago, the Arizona Republican Party filed a lawsuit to completely eliminate early mail-in and drop-box voting in the state of Arizona.
The co-defendants in the case are Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs and the State of Arizona.
The lawsuit was filed in the Arizona Supreme Court and claims that the early mail-in voting system employed in Arizona is unconstitutional per the Arizona state constitution.
The plaintiff's lawyer argues that because the phrase "at the polls" appears in multiple places in the state constitution, all ballots must be cast at in-person polling places. The lawyer also argues that voting "on a fixed date" is the only constitutionally-valid way to vote.
To support their argument against early mail-in voting, the Arizona Republican Party refers to a 2005 Commission on Federal Election Reform report. In that report, former President Jimmy Carter and former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III, who were co-chairs of that commission, said that "absentee ballots remain the largest source of potential voter fraud."
Source:
Weiss, Elias. (March 2, 2022). "Arizona Republicans Seek to Stop Early Voting with Supreme Court Lawsuit". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2022-03-10
Navarro, Mireya. (Marc 5, 1998). "Fraud Ruling Invalidates Miami Mayoral Election". The New York Times. Retrieved 2022-03-10
Cooper, Jonathan J. (February 28, 2022). "GOP lawsuit looks to throw out absentee voting in Arizona". Associated Press. Retrieved 2022-03-10
More:
- Arizona Republicans continue pushing voting restrictions, risking backfire | NPR
- Nearly 90% of Arizona voters use early ballots. Republicans would eliminate that to combat imagined fraud. | AZ Mirror
- The Carter-Baker Commission, 16 Years Later: Voting by Mail | Baker Institute
- Carter Center Statement on Voting by Mail for 2020 U.S. Elections | The Carter Center
Commentary:
Any reasonable, rational person has to ask the question: Would Republicans in Arizona be attempting to make so many "reforms" to state election laws if Donald Trump had won the state of Arizona in the 2020 election, or if he had won the election nationwide?
The 2005 Commission on Federal Election Reform report notes the "potential" for voter fraud. "Potential" does not mean the existence of voter fraud, and it certainly does not mean that voter fraud is widespread.
The report also notes a case of absentee ballot fraud which occurred in 1998 in the city of Miami, Florida mayoral race, where a judge ruled the election invalid and ordered a new election be conducted. One can argue that this is a case for greater restrictions. One can also argue that this shows democracy and justice working because the fraud was discovered and a new election was held. One can also ask the question: How many significant cases of voter fraud relating to mail-in ballots have occurred since 1998? None that I'm aware of.
Nearly 90% of Arizona voters voted by mail in the 2020 presidential election. It's convenient, it saves time, and for some people it's the only practical way to vote.
In the state of Arizona, recounts and audits of the 2020 presidential election found no widespread evidence of mail-in voting fraud.
Let's be clear about something. It's common knowledge that Democrats and liberals are much more likely to vote by mail than Republicans and conservatives. Republicans know this, and even though they won't admit it, this is one of the "covert" reasons they are trying to eliminate mail-in voting.
The bottom line to what's happening in Arizona and in so many U.S. states is that Republicans are in a state of paranoia about election security. So many of them still believe the "Big Lie" and are convinced that something must be done, on a massive scale, so a "stolen" election never happens again.