Why has it become more difficult to vote over the last ten years in Arizona? There has been no evidence of voter fraud in our state, but the Republican controlled Arizona Legislature continues to pass laws that put up obstacles to voting. The answer is simple. Power. Due to the changing demographics in our state, the face of Arizona is changing in such a manner that no longer favors Republicans. The more voters they can keep out of the voting booth, the more likely they will succeed.
The most recent attempt to suppress the vote is a bill introduced in the Senate that wishes to restrict the “use of emergency voting that allows people… to cast a ballot ahead of Election Day.” (Bill would restrict emergency voting centers, A3, 2/28/19)
Republicans are responding to the fact that in the last election there were five emergency voting centers opened in Maricopa County that allowed more people to vote. The legitimacy of these votes were not contested. Whether it be our Arizona ID voting law or this most recent attempt to suppress the vote, Republicans in the legislature want to make it harder for Arizonans to vote.
Senator Martin Quezada said it best. “I think these are unnecessary barriers. We should be looking to modernize our system. This (Bill) goes in the opposite direction.” I agree.
I appreciate the attention from the Arizona Daily Sun to this blatant attempt by our political leaders to make it harder for us to vote. Write or call your state legislature, your Senator and Governor Ducey to let them know that this bill is unacceptable. Our elected political officials should be removing the road blocks to voting, not building them.
GREGORY JARRIN
AZ Daily Sun, March 10, 2019
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