DATE: Thursday, November 15th, 2007
TIME: 7:00 AM
LOCATION: Paradise Valley Park, 17642 N. 40th Street, Phoenix, AZ
MORE: 40th St. and Bell. Just East of the 51 Parkway Map
For More Information Contact: Stephen Perry at stephenp@annieloydforcongress.com
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Arizona politics underwent a change in 2005 when Governor Janet Napolitano signed into law Senate bill requiring a new voter registration form. This legislation was a result of Proposition 200, an initiative circulated by Republican Party leaders because illegal aliens could register illegal aliens to vote. The language of the new voter registration form was taken word for word from Proposition 200. The new voter registration form had the following effect on independent voter registration in Arizona.
2000-2002 107,715
2002-2004 165,771
2004-2006 26,483
Bill Bridwell, a Pinal County Republican Party spokesman now on the state committe of his party boasted in 2005 that the rapid increase of independent voters in the state had been remedied by a new voter registration form. He even went so far as to explain what had been done. The check box labeled No Party Preference had been taken off from the form, leaving only a space designated Specify Party Preference. Regardless of what may have been said about Proposition 200, the real reason for that initiative was to make this change in the voter registration form to slow down the increase in independent voters. The proof ofthat is that illegal aliens and convicted felons are still free to go to a County Recorder, obtain voter registration forms, and register voters.
This all came about because of a House bill passed in 1988 and signed into law by Governor Rose Mofford which required that deputy registrars in the state of
Arizona be recommended by the chairman of a political party. Accordingly, on December 31 of 1988, all deputy registrars in the state who were registered independent were sent a letter of dismissal informing them that they were no longer eligible to hold that position.
An independent voter in Glendale, Arizona, filed a lawsuit seeking re-instatement of independent deputy registrars. As the court date for that litigation drew near, nervous legislators, wanting to hide their earlier assault on independent deputy registrars, nullified the court case by doing away with the position of deputy registrar in Arizona. Deputy registrars were persons appointed and trained by County Recorders to register voters.
This made it possible for any person to go to a County Recorder, obtain voter registration forms, and register voters. It was at this point that Secretary of State Betsey Bayless made the voter registration form referred to by Mr. Bridwell which had the option to register independent in the form of a check box marked No Party Preference. This was done to placate independent voters angry about the dismissal of independent deputy registrars who addressed a joint committee of the legislature held shortly after the impeachment of Governor Meacham.
What is likely to happen now is that the parties will move to stop voter registration drives by requiring proof of identification with voter registration, something the deputy registrars were there to require which cannot now be done without a photocopy machine, effectively stopping door to door registration of voters.
What needs to be done is a voter registration drive to determine how far the parties have taken this. If it is still possible to register voters, independents need to do it this election, otherwise, they are going to lose that ability.
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