Arizona Approves Tougher Voter ID Requirements For Mid-Terms

The 2020 elections will go down in history as being infected with voter fraud, especially in a handful of swing states.

Arizona was one of the states which was expected to end up in the Trump column on election night, but did not, so the AZ legislature has taken several steps since to further sure up its election processes.

The GOP-controlled Arizona House and state Senate voted Monday to approve a measure on the November election ballot that would drastically increase the identification requirements needed for Arizonans who want to vote both in-person and by mail.

Gina Swoboda, third vice chairman of the Republican Party of Arizona, announced the measure had been approved in a video posted to Twitter on Monday.

BREAKING: VOTER ID IS OFFICIALLY ON THE BALLOT IN ARIZONA pic.twitter.com/sAztNU2FbM

— Republican Party of Arizona (@AZGOP) March 1, 2022

HCR2025 would require Arizonans to provide ID, as well as the last four digits of their Social Security number, in order to vote early.

Marcelino Quiñonez (D), who serves in the Arizona House of Representatives from the 27th district, said he refused to vote yes on SCR1012 and a similar bill, HCR2025 because he trusts “Arizona voters and the integrity of our elections.”

“Democracy only works when you respect the outcome: win or lose, not when you change the laws along party lines. I voted NO on SCR1012/HCR2025 because voter ID laws in Arizona already exist, and I trust our process,” Quiñonez said on Twitter.

I trust Arizona voters and the integrity of our elections. Democracy only works when you respect the outcome: win or lose, not when you change the laws along party lines.

I voted NO on SCR1012/HCR2025 because voter ID laws in Arizona already exist, and I trust our process. https://t.co/EISMHEYSkQ pic.twitter.com/VDARGgSwrt

— Marcelino Quiñonez (@Marcelino4AZ) March 1, 2022

Meanwhile, Democratic Rep. Mitzi Epstein of Tempe said she is concerned that the similar HCR2025 measure could lead to hundreds of valid mail ballot requests being rejected.

“Voter ID is good. Arizona has voter ID requirements. But this HCR has too many flaws and will have too many unintended consequences. Every eligible voter’s ballot should be counted. We should not create barriers to voting,” Epstein said on Twitter.

However, Republican Rep. Walt Blackman of Snowflake praised the measure for strengthening election integrity. “I don’t see what’s wrong with this. I really don’t,” said Blackman. “Because all it’s doing is protecting our election and the process.”

Arizona state Rep. John Kavanagh, a Republican, said the measures are the best way to ensure every vote is counted legally.

“Now you don’t have to mail in your driver’s license if it’s an early ballot,” Kavanagh told Fox 10. “You would simply have to put in your driver’s license number, which you have and you can copy, and the last four digits of your Social Security number. Those two pieces of information would be hidden, so nobody could see it.”

“It’s an easy way and a secure way to ensure that somebody who steals your ballot from the mailbox, or a family member who wants to vote on your behalf, unbeknownst to you, can’t find a piece of paper with your signature on it, trace it, and vote on your behalf,” said Kavanagh.

At the same time, the Arizona Republican Party filed a lawsuit on Friday asking the state Supreme Court to end the vote-by-mail system used by 90 percent of registered voters, arguing that it is unconstitutional.

The GOP argued that “in-person voting at the polls on a fixed date (election day) is the only constitutional manner of voting in Arizona.”

The lawsuit asks justices to get rid of the “no-excuse absentee balloting system” adopted by the state in 1991.

Way to go patriots in the “The Grand Canyon State“. Only every legitimate vote, cast by U.S. citizens, should be counted.

These newest steps will go a long way in restoring confidence in the process for Arizona voters.

By: Eric Thompson, editor of Eric Thompson Show.