On Friday, a major Maricopa County politician urged Gov. Katie Hobbs to step up and assist fix a situation that he says could disrupt the 2018 election.
“I’m extremely delighted to see legislative leadership step up and be ready to act, and we need the governor to do the same. “We need her to lead on this,” Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates stated.
State lawmakers have one week to approve emergency legislation, prevent disenfranchising service personnel overseas, and ensure Arizona’s presidential votes are counted in the Electoral College. County leaders and election officials from Arizona’s 15 counties have been warning about the problem for months.
The difficulty originates from a two-year-old regulation that could result in more recounts in close contests. While recounts may boost voter confidence, election officials in all 15 counties are concerned that they may delay certification.
If certification takes too long after the primary, service members stationed overseas may not receive ballots in time to vote in the general election. If the presidential election is not certified on time, Arizona’s Electoral College votes may not be tabulated, county officials have stated.
Lawmakers on both sides of the political spectrum agree that the matter must be handled urgently, yet they have failed to introduce legislation. Gates and others have declined to explain the hold-up in the Capitol.
In general, the counties are asking lawmakers for extra time to handle the recounts and have recommended many adjustments, the most significant of which is shifting the August primary ahead one week to July 30.
To meet the February deadline, lawmakers would need to enact legislation next week with an emergency clause that would take effect immediately.