In our new weekly series, we want to share the important facts about LAMA’s policy priorities. This week, we are focusing on voting in Arizona!
The Lutheran Perspective: Faithfully Stewarding Our Society
Voting isn’t a practice we see really in scripture, nor in Martin Luther’s writing— at least not the way we are familiar with it. However, voting is a foundational part of the way our society works. Civic engagement is a tool at our disposal that we may use to enact God’s justice and care for our neighbors. It is our right and our responsibility to steward the communities we live in, and civic engagement is one of the avenues through which we do.
In order for our democratic system to continue functioning for the good of all, we must ensure that all are able to participate. Public policy has the potential to drastically impact who is able to access the voting booth and what barriers they face.
“[It is] resolved, that members, congregations, and synods of this church be encouraged to “promote public life worthy of the name” by speaking out as an advocate and engaging in local efforts such as voter registration and supporting legislation to guarantee the right to vote to all citizens …” – Social Policy Resolution “Voting Rights to All Citizens” adopted Aug. 2013
Quick Facts
Over ⅓ of Arizona’s Voters are registered Independents, more than are registered with either major party (Cronkite News)
Demographic break down: 52% of Latino voters, 31% of African Americans, 43% of Asian Americans, 61% of people ages 18 to 24, 59% veterans
Arizona led the country in the number of bills restricting voter access introduced in 2022 (Brennan Center for Justice)
Approximately 80% of Arizonans vote by mail (Citizens for Clean Elections)
Bills like 2022’s HB2492 (currently being tried in court), which tighten ID laws, are not shown to reduce voter fraud, but they DO hurt people’s access to the voting booth.
As per 2018’s Advisory Memorandum of the Arizona Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Out of state college students, Native American, minority communities, women, overseas military were respectively most likely to not have the double ID’s needed, meaning that many legal voters would not be able to participate
Some 40,000 homes on reservations are at risk of voter disenfranchisement because they lack standardized, physical addresses (az capitol times)
2021’s SB 2492 (requiring citizenship proof to register, and to vote in person or by mail) could have potentially kicked 192,000 people off of the voter rolls; similar policies have been used to target voters of color in the past; causes trouble for Native Voters bc reservations don’t have standardized addressing
Overturned in September 2023, in violation of the federal National Voting Rights Act
Bills like 2022’s H.B. 2243 that require documentation of citizenship restrict access to the polls for many marginalized groups, especially tribal groups and poor folks, and frankly aren’t necessary (HB 2243 is currently in court and not able to be enforced)
Approximately 80% of Arizona voters support for non-partisan primaries according to ASU Center For an Independent and Sustainable Democracy’s Consensus and Concern in Arizona's Hot Political Climate: Voter Attitudes About Elections report
We are advocating for…
Support for the work of Executive Order 2023-03, which established the Bipartisan Elections Task Force. The task force identified 16 policy recommendations. Check out the task force’s full report here (worth the read!) Recommendations include:
Voting Rights Restoration: Would amend the law to make the voting rights restoration process automatic upon release from incarceration, regardless of whether an individual has one felony conviction or multiple. The proposal asks the Governor to convene a Rights Restoration Outreach Committee that would educate impacted people about the voting rights restoration process.
AVID Funding: AVID (access voter information database) does not have a sustained source of funding to cover its annual $1.3 million operating costs. This proposal recommends that state general funds be appropriated in the FY2025 budget to cover the full operating costs of the AVID system to ensure a reliable and sustained level of funding. AVID is what allows Maricopa County to have open polling places!!
Ballot Return Interference: This proposal recommends amending state law to ensure voter intimidation and interference laws expressly protect voters regardless of what method they use to return their ballot.
Make Elections Fair Act: This ballot initiative would introduce open, non partisan primaries in the state. States that have already done this have seen less polarization and higher rates of voter satisfaction. It also seeks to ban public money from being used to fund party elections.
We are opposing measures HB2457 and HCR 2032. These initiatives seek to ban counties from using the Voting Center model, as well as eliminate early in-person voting.
We are also participating in the development of the ELCA Social Statement on Civic Life and Faith. Click here to read the draft, and click here to give your feedback via survey! The draft is open for feedback through September.
We also encourage you to remember to vote in the state primaries on July 30th! Even independents can request a ballot and vote. The primary election is earlier than usual this year, so remember to register and request your ballots by July 1st!
What questions do you have about voting and civic engagement in Arizona?
