Arizona Republicans sue after Dem governor open more voting locations
In 2023, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) signed two executive orders ahead of the 2024 election: One that allowed state government facilities to serve as voter registration sites, and the second made those same government facilities locations where individuals could vote in November.
But as the 2024 election approaches, the Arizona state Republican Party is suing, the voting rights group Democracy Docket reported Monday.
According to the filing from GOP chair Gina Swoboda and two voters, both executive orders violate the state’s constitution, which they say gives the state legislature and local officials the authority to decide where voters can drop off ballots and register to vote.
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“EO 23 is silent about important issues regarding completed ballots and voting procedures including, for example, where to store completed ballots until they can be sent to the appropriate election officials or keeping a chain-of-custody log for those completed ballots,” the lawsuit reads.
Swoboda takes issue with voting locations like those belonging to the Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry and the Department of Juvenile Corrections.
While the executive order has been around for nine months, Swoboda’s lawyers are in a hurry for courts to decide its legality, which is why they took it immediately to the state Supreme Court bypassing all lower courts.
The GOP groups are demanding that the state court stop Hobbs and state agencies from moving forward with implementing the orders.