Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs Vetoes Three Anti-Voter Bills 

Brian Beihl

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for April 12, 2023

Photo: Office of Gov. Katie Hobbs

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
KOLD 13 News – Bill requiring all parts of Arizona election machines be made in US passes out of committee
KTAR News – Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoes 3 election bills, including early voting list restriction
Arizona Mirror – Hobbs vetoes election, abortion bills
Democracy Docket – Arizona Governor Vetoes Three Election Bills

Groups Taking Action:
Mi Familia Vota Arizona,  American Alliance of Retired Americans – Arizona,  Common Cause Arizona, Native American Rights Fund,  League of Women Voters Arizona

Today’s Script:  (Variations occur with audio due to editing for time)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

We have positive news from Arizona, where Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed three anti-voter bills last week, passed by a legislature bent on making voting harder for its citizens  – and its election workers.  

Voting Rights Lab reports that over 80 election-related bills were filed this session, after a past year of conspiracy theories and chaos in counties around Arizona.  Last Monday, Gov. Katie Hobbs, who won a bruising campaign over election denier Kari Lake last year, vetoed SB 1074, which would have required ballot tabulating machines to be made entirely of U.S. components.  Testimony on the bill indicated that no such replacement machine exists, meaning elections would be hand counted  – a slower, less accurate and more expensive method.

Hobbs also vetoed HB 2415, which would have purged registered voters from the semi-permanent vote-by-mail list after just one election cycle if they didn’t vote.  Currently, non-voting voters are removed from the list after two-cycles.   

Signature matching is notoriously inaccurate, particularly for elderly and disabled voters.   HB 2322, a bill which would have codified signature verification already in practice under Arizona’s election guidelines, was also vetoed by Hobbs.  

Governor Hobbs said in one veto statement, “I stand ready to sign bills that make voting more accessible, accurate and secure.”

We have links to articles and groups taking action at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

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