Senators Decry Equating Election Integrity Measures With Acts of Voter Suppression

In an attempt to garner support for their election integrity legislation, State Senators J.D. Mesnard and Michelle Ugenti-Rita took part in a 25-minute press conference Monday to decry suggestions that they are involved in voter suppression.

Mesnard (R-LD17) has introduced SB1713 which adds requirements to the early balloting process to help ensure the voter is the person using the ballot. Ugenti-Rita (R-LD23) is sponsoring SB1485 which could potentially drop 207,000 voters from the state’s Permanent Early Voter List (PEVL), which does not affect a voter’s actual registration.

During Monday’s event, Mesnard pushed back on “gross mischaracterizations” of the two bills, which has resulted in “relentless attacks on our motivations – and by extension our character.”

He cited a recent poll which showed 58 percent of Arizona voters are “concerned or very concerned” about voter fraud. Mesnard is also concerned, he said, with ensuring Arizonans don’t stop voting due to a growing lack of faith and confidence in the election process.

“It seemed no one was interested in debating the bill for what it actually did,” adding that his interest in strengthening early ballot identification efforts is “not about 2020 they are about the future.”

Under SB1713, a voter who utilizes an early ballot will be required to include their date of birth, signature, the date signed, and some type of unique identification number such as an Arizona driver’s license number, state ID number, tribal enrollment number, voter registration number, or similar government identification.

Any ballot received by the county recorder without all of the required information would not be sent for tabulation, according to the bill. Mesnard noted Monday he does not dispute that there has been no evidence of widespread fraud in Arizona’s current election process, but says it is irrelevant.

“To ignore the concerns of so many people who are saying they don’t see the point of voting anymore because they don’t believe the outcome – that is voter suppression,” he said. “I don’t even have to sit here and debate whether someone found evidence or not,” he said. “What is undebatable is that people have a lot of concerns about it. That, by itself, is a threat.”

Meanwhile, Ugenti-Rita’s SB1485 establishes a process for dropping voters from the PEVL if they do not vote via their early ballot at least once during two consecutive primary and general election cycles. That would be once in four elections.

On Monday, Ugenti-Rita said she plans to make a few “tweaks” she believes should get the bill passed.  Gov. Doug Ducey has not indicated whether he plans to sign either bill if they hit his desk, but the senator urged him to do so.

However, several other groups, such as Heritage Action For America and the Arizona Free Enterprise Club which joined to host Monday’s event, are encouraging legislators to back the two bills.

“The vast majority of Americans support voter ID laws and election integrity reforms,” said Scot Mussi, president of Arizona Free Enterprise Club. “The Club commends Senators Mesnard and Ugenti-Rita for sponsoring bills that help make Arizona’s election system more accessible and fraud proof. And we call on the House to pass both SB1713 and SB1485.”

Earlier this month 40 corporate CEOs, presidents, and business owners from the Phoenix-area who belong to the Greater Phoenix Leadership (GPL) issued a letter opposing any changes to Arizona’s election laws. Other opponents have called on several national companies to denounce the Mesnard and Ugenti-Rita bills.

Ugenti-Rita previously said the GPL letter was “feeding mass hysteria” with its suggestion that she and other legislators are engaging in legislative voter suppression. It was a subject she addressed again during Monday’s press conference.

“If you disagree with my bill or any of the bills these other members represent in the name of election integrity, that’s fine,” Ugenti-Rita said. “But you don’t get to mischaracterize and lie about it…you don’t get to label everybody who may support it as racist.”