Arizona just passed laws that make it harder to vote. We're suing to stop them

Opinion: One bill strikes infrequent voters from the early voting list. The other shortens the time a voter can correct signature mistakes. Both make it harder to vote.

Alejandra Gomez, Vianey Olivarria, Carolina Rodriguez Greer and Reginald Bolding
opinion contributors
Approximately 80% of Arizona voters vote by mail.

“We don't need perfect political systems — we need perfect participation.”

Civil rights and union leader Cesar Chavez

As leaders of several of the state’s largest civic engagement organizations, we understand that the freedom to vote is the backbone of our democracy.

We also know that too often structural barriers have been erected to keep people of color, including Black, brown and Indigenous voters and women, from raising our voices at the ballot box.

It’s the reason we work so hard to register our communities to vote in Arizona.

It’s also the reason we are going to court together to fight voter suppression.

126,000 voters would've been booted from the list

On Aug. 17, we filed a legal challenge to block Senate Bill 1485, a measure that undoes our state’s popular Permanent Early Voting List (PEVL) and SB 1003, an effort to limit opportunities for voters to “cure” their ballots and address issues related to voter signatures. Both of these bills were passed by the Arizona Legislature and signed by Gov. Doug Ducey this year.

SB 1485 removes the “Permanent” from the PEVL, taking voters off the early voting list if they do not vote by mail for two consecutive elections and fail to respond to a notice. This could disenfranchise thousands of us and put undue pressure on in-person polling locations – approximately 80% of Arizona voters vote by mail.

SB 1003 also limits existing opportunities for voters to address issues related to signatures with their ballots, a change expected to disproportionately impact people of color.

An April survey showed that 77% of Arizonans support expanding early voting options, and nearly three-quarters of Arizonans support eligible voters having the opportunity to fix issues with their mail-in ballot.

Arizonans support a fair democracy for all, and the numbers do, too.

An analysis we did of voter file data indicates that if SB 1485 had been in effect in 2020, approximately 126,000 voters who ultimately voted last year would have been removed from the early voting list. 

And of the eight legislative districts in Arizona with the highest numbers of voters likely to be removed from the PEVL, seven are districts in which voters of color are the majority.

No policy should make it harder to vote

Legislation like that undermines democracy and the work of our organizations – LUCHA, Chispa Arizona, Mi Familia Vota, and Arizona Coalition for Change, which have registered more than 250,000 voters across the state over the past five years.

When we look at SB 1003, we see short cure periods impacting voters in regions with fewer post offices, street addresses and mailboxes. This includes – but is not limited to – sovereign tribal nations, parts of Yuma County and other rural regions.

The impact is clear, and the solution is simple – no policy should make it harder for people to vote.

These voter suppression tactics are part of a broad, coordinated assault on our freedom to vote and democratic norms nationwide. These attacks include efforts to make voting less accessible, attempts to undermine the legitimacy of the 2020 election, promotion of a fraudulent “audit” right here at home and growing disinformation about the security of our elections.

Recently we saw efforts to pass comprehensive voting rights legislation at the national level – the For the People Act – be put on hold. Our lawmakers at every level must do more to defend our freedoms and honor our voices.

Despite the challenges ahead, we will not be deterred. We know you won’t be either.

Our ideas matter, our families are important and our voices count. Thank you for staying engaged and staying involved. Democracy is for everyone, and we will continue to educate our communities on ways to engage civically and get involved.

We’re proud of you for raising your voice at the ballot box. And we are proud to defend our freedom to vote and fight voter suppression in Arizona.

Alejandra Gomez is co-executive director of LUCHA - Living United for Change in Arizona. Vianey Olivarria is state co-director of Chispa Arizona. Carolina Rodriguez Greer is state director of Mi Familia Vota. Reginald Bolding is co-executive director of Arizona Coalition for Change. On Twitter: @Gomez_Alex07, @vianeyalex92, @rodriguez_greer and @reginaldbolding.