
On Tuesday, Republican Sen. Paul Boyer joined with Senate Democrats to kill S.B. 1069, a much needed election reform bill. But Boyer quickly learned that betraying his party’s caucus and the promises Republicans have made to voters comes at a price, when the bill’s sponsor Michelle Ugenti-Rita got a handful of other Republican Senators to “claw back” Boyer’s S.B. 1452, a bill that expands Empowerment Scholarship Accounts.
Sens. Sonny Borrelli, David Gowan, David Livingston, Tyler Pace, and Wendy Rogers joined Ugenti-Rita’s request to claw back Boyer’s bill and the Senate must now ask the House to return Boyer’s bill.
Both Boyer’s and Ugenti-Rita’s bills were widely supported by Republicans, while Ugenti-Rita’s bill was considered essential after the controversies that emerged from the 2020 General Election.
This isn’t the first time Boyer blocked bills involving the recent election. Earlier this month, Boyer shocked his Republican colleagues when, after promising to support enforcing a subpoena from the Senate for the election equipment used by the Maricopa County Elections Department, he voted against enforcement, effectively killing it.
Ugenti-Rita’s bill, SB1069, would remove people from the Permanent Early Voting List (PEVL) if they miss four elections in a row and rename the list “EVL.” While it was expected to pass, Boyer flexing his muscle as the swing vote in the Senate appears to place every reasonable voter integrity bill at risk.
Boyer is already facing a recall effort stemming from his decision to block the subpoena, effectively stripping the Legislature of a key oversight power.
The Maricopa BOS is still in contempt. Senator Boyer joining the democrats to vote no on the declaration of contempt doesn’t change that fact. Simply means that Senator Boyer refuses to hold the BOS accountable. He’s rendered Legislative subpoenas worthless.
— Eddie Farnsworth (@FarnsworthEddie) February 11, 2021
Az State Senator Paul Boyer is the only Republican voting to not hold the Maricopa BOS in contempt for violating legal subpoenas. He and Dems are telling all political subdivisions of the state that the legislature is irrelevant and audits don’t matter.
— Eddie Farnsworth (@FarnsworthEddie) February 8, 2021