In an effort to discourage State Committeemen from signing the call to force an April 24th meeting, AZGOP Chairwoman Kelli Ward has blasted the entire effort as a “scam”, in spite of the effort being in compliance with the AZGOP’s bylaws and the process being conducted based on advice from the AZGOP’s own attorneys.
Ward allies like Yavapai County Chairwoman Lois Fruhwirth are echoing Ward’s talking points in remarks that conservative State Committeemen note sound just like Democratic talking points in trying to mock GOP efforts to audit the November elections. “…they lost the election and now need to get over it…” and “This ongoing soap opera nonsense and now signature gathering Scam can NOT be tolerated nor supported.” wrote Fruhwirth in an email she sent to her county’s committeemen. “Scamming other Republicans is a low-down, underhanded move, which reveals the character of the folks behind this. While I was open to hearing all sides before the State Meeting, I’m now honestly glad they lost.” she added.
While Ward and others are attacking the effort to try and delegitimize it, as well as to try to run the clock out, the actual process is quite simple. According to the Party’s bylaws, 20% of the State Committeemen can call a Special Meeting for whatever purposes are allowed, and offering State Committeemen the opportunity to sign the call and be a part of that 20% is standard operating procedure.
“In the old days everything would have been done with paper and pen, and you would have to run around and collect these things in person. Today we get to use electronic signatures that hold up perfectly well in court, and that makes it much easier for state committeemen all over the state to have their voices heard.” said one of the organizers, who asked not to be identified because “I don’t need Mike Ward trying to punch me in the face the next time we are at the same meeting.”
Still, Ward’s strategy got some compliments from some of the observers we spoke with. “Is it underhanded? Sure, but it could work for her. If they don’t get the signers they need in time, they have to start over again with a new date further into the future. Her goal is to stall this as long as possible and hope that the party faithful grow tired of talking about election integrity so she can keep her job.” remarked one politico, who added “The only way this backfires is if the committeemen are paying enough attention that they realize she’s refusing to follow the rules, just like the Democrats she’s always complaining about, and she’s using the Democrat tactics and talking points while she does it. In which case even her own supporters might start to turn on her.”