PHOENIX — As Arizona county boards of supervisors finalize election budgets ahead of the July 1 deadline, All Voting is Local Arizona, Arizona Advocacy Network and Foundation, Arizona Coalition for Change/Our Voice Our Vote, and Living United For Change in Arizona (LUCHA) are urging each board to allocate emergency funding in anticipation of budget shortfalls.
Last month Gov. Doug Ducey signed HB2569 into law, prohibiting the state from using grant money to help fund elections.
In letters to all 15 county boards of supervisors, advocates note that during the last election cycle, Arizona received $11.5 million in grant funding from nonprofit organizations for critical election costs including voter outreach, poll worker recruitment, and election staff safety training.
“The Arizona legislature made it clear that it is the responsibility of the counties to make up any funding shortfalls to conduct elections,” the groups wrote in the letters. “We are therefore asking you to commit to allocating [each county’s share per capita of the $11.5 million loss] for election efforts in your county so that election officials can maintain existing access and continue to run free, fair and accessible elections.”
The letter to Apache County can be found here.
The letter to Cochise County can be found here.
The letter to Coconino County can be found here.
The letter to Gila County can be found here.
The letter to Graham County can be found here.
The letter to Greenlee County can be found here.
The letter to La Paz County can be found here.
The letter to Maricopa County can be found here
The letter to Mohave County can be found here.
The letter to Navajo County can be found here.
The letter to Pima County can be found here.
The letter to Pinal County can be found here.
The letter to Santa Cruz County can be found here.
The letter to Yavapai County can be found here.
The letter to Yuma County can be found here.