Sen. Kelly Townsend has been accused by Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita of killing an election integrity bill in a “show of spite” and part of her “temper tantrum.” Townsend on Thursday voted against Ugenti-Rita’s Early Voting List bill during the final vote in the Senate.
Townsend’s vote sent shock waves across the state on both sides of the political aisle. Given Townsend’s reputation for erratic behavior, the move should have been expected, according to some of her colleagues.
It makes zero sense and is only about ego… https://t.co/Ddl1yC8G1b
— T.J. Shope (@TJShopeforAZ) April 22, 2021
Apparently, Townsend harbors ill-will toward Ugenti-Rita, blaming her for blocking Townsend’s election bills. As a result, after killing the bill, Townsend took to Facebook and Twitter to smear Ugenti-Rita by bringing past questionable behavior.
Heritage Action, a national conservative grassroots organization, took Townsend to task for voting against the bill, SB1485.
“Today, Arizona Senator Kelly Townsend voted against SB1485, a bill which she had already voted for twice, in a short-sighted attempt to draw attention to other election bills which failed to pass out of committee,” read Heritage Action’s statement. “While there is still work to be done on election reform in the state, it should not come at the expense of current legislation that would improve Arizona’s early vote-by-mail system, safeguard against potential fraud, and save taxpayer dollars. Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, the bill’s sponsor, and other legislators have been working tirelessly to pass a number of bills that would strengthen the integrity of Arizona’s elections and improve voter trust in the system. No conservative should oppose these bills.”
Heritage Action is calling on “lawmakers to pass the bill, along with bills like SB1713, which requires voter ID to vote by mail. While woke celebrities have smeared the bill, the truth is that a wide majority of Arizonans support these common-sense bills. The legislature should pass them without delay.”
Townsend denies having a temper tantrum. She claims that she intends to vote against all elections legislation until the Senate completes and audit of the 2020 General Election.
That audit is expected to take at least 60 days, well after the Legislature is expected to recess.
After Townsend’s vote, Ugenti-Rita also voted against the bill; this is common when it becomes clear that a bill is going to fail, and allows the bill sponsor to bring it up for reconsideration later in the session.