Why is it important for EVERYONE to vote – and to pay attention — in this year’s midterm elections? Some voters don’t get interested in anything other than Presidential elections. But midterms are actually very meaningful – all seats in the US House of Representatives are open for election, for example, and the majority of states will elect governors. Here in Arizona, we will be choosing our next Governor and other key statewide officials, including Attorney General and Secretary of State. Even in “normal” times, the results of these races would greatly influence social, economic, and policy conditions over the next couple of years. Public health, environment, inflation, gun violence, and water shortages – among many other challenges – raise the stakes this year.
Two other factors make this year especially significant. Redistricting – the drawing of new congressional and state legislative district boundaries, using 2020 census data – means that many voters now find themselves in new districts, offered new candidate choices, and required to learn new procedures. There’s considerable opportunity for confusion, especially among those many thousands who voted for the very first time in 2020. It would be a loss for democracy if many people were discouraged and deterred from voting by confusion over the process.
A second factor serving to expand the importance of our election this year is Arizona’s place on center stage in the debates and legal maneuverings around election integrity. According to The Arizona Republic, the Arizona Senate’s audit of Maricopa County’s 2020 results has cost taxpayers $5 million so far, despite finding zero problems with either voting processes or ballot tabulation (and legal costs continue to mount). We’ve learned that the state Republican party had solicited and proposed an alternate set of “fake” electors, prepared to overturn the voters’ voices and deliver Arizona’s 2020 electoral votes to then-President Trump. This year the Republican-controlled state legislature introduced more than 130 bills aimed at voter registration, voting procedures, and potential criminalization of both voters and election officials for what might be simple clerical errors; in most cases, these proposals would create more complex and difficult processes while not solving any real problems.
Just this week a judge in Mohave County dismissed a lawsuit brought by Kelli Ward, chair of the Arizona Republican Party, seeking to eliminate early voting by mail – a long-running convention in Arizona with many built-in security safeguards and a system used by the large majority of Arizona voters. (See article at https://bipartisanreport.com/2022/06/06/arizona-court-throws-out-gop-attempt-to-stop-mail-in-voting/ ) It’s virtually guaranteed that election officials and processes, from drop boxes to signature verification to ballot tabulation, will be scrutinized and vigorously tested throughout the state in November 2022.
Our primary elections are also significant this year, even if several spots are uncontested. Election officials and observers alike use the primary to test the capacity and security of voting processes. Where is there confusion about place or procedure? How heavy is turnout in various polling locations? Are there sufficient resources to assist voters with questions or special needs? Counties are seeking qualified and reliable poll workers, while political parties and non-profits solicit volunteers to provide voter education and to observe voting and tabulation processes. There’s clearly room – and justification – for all of us to get involved in this year’s elections.
If you would like to volunteer to assist with Voter Protection, please fill out this general interest form to receive information about opportunities and training by Mission for Arizona (the coordinated campaign). This will put you on the road to being a poll observer, tabulation observer, hand auditor, or hotline volunteer.
Share this: