Republicans are asking why some members of their Party in the Senate are blocking a bill that would return precinct voting to Arizona.
Senator Ken Bennett, a Republican out of Prescott, has joined progressives in opposition to HCR 2032, a bill that would allow Arizona voters to decide whether they want to vote by precinct or maintain Maricopa County’s controversial vote center model that critics claim has led to printer failures and the disenfranchisement of election day voters for three election cycles.
Bennet joins the State Conference NAACP, Common Cause, Planned Parenthood Advocates Of Arizona, Sierra Club , and the illegal immigrant rights group, Living United For Change In Arizona (LUCHA), in opposition.
Bennett brings a unique perspective to election bills as the only legislator who has served previously as Secretary of State, so his opinion often carries a great deal of weight. But his position on this bill has many stumped.
Currently, each year before a general election, each county Board of Supervisors (BOS) “must establish a convenient number of election precincts within the county and define the boundaries of each precinct. At least 20 days before a general or primary election, or 10 days before a special election, the county BOS must designate one polling place in each election precinct where the election must be held. On a specific resolution, the county BOS may authorize the use of voting centers in place of, or in addition to, specifically designated polling places.”
HCR 2032 removes the ability of the county BOS to establish voting centers as well as removing the ability of the county recorder to establish on-site early voting locations.
The bill also caps the number of registered voters in an election precinct at 1,000 when designating election precincts.