PHOENIX — All Voting is Local Arizona State Director Alex Gulotta released the following statement in response to Governor Doug Ducey and Secretary of State Katie Hobbs’ announcement to use $9 million in COVID-19 response federal funding from the CARES Act to safeguard Arizona’s elections, after being thwarted by partisan disagreements:
“Creating stability and confidence in our elections is not a partisan issue. The only way to ensure that all Arizonans can safely cast a ballot that counts will be through bipartisan reforms that safeguard our democracy and public health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The U.S. Senate must pass the HEROES Act to ensure Arizona has vital election funding. State election officials must create uniform procedures to ensure that every ballot is safely cast and counted and local officials must preserve in-person polling place locations. This crisis requires us to work together to adapt every aspect of our daily lives — our elections are no exception.”
Background:
Gov. Doug Ducey and Secretary of State Katie Hobbs announced this morning that they struck a deal authorizing the use of $9 million in COVID-19 response federal funding to support Arizona’s elections. The agreement will provide funding for: protective masks, equipment, and cleaning supplies for polling locations; printing, mailing, and postage for ballots by mail; extended early in-person voting and mobile voting; tribal community voting; and extensive voter education on the ways voting may be different in 2020.
The funding originally requested by Hobbs in April through the Election Assistance Commision is at risk of being lost due to partisan wrangling and failure by leadership in the Arizona Legislature to take action before adjourning.