RTS Alerts Week of 02/03: Voting and Civic Engagement
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Greetings Advocates!
This week we are bringing you active bills on Voting and Civic Engagement. We are tracking 27 bills that are related to our policy priority of encouraging Civic Enagagement at all levels of government. Consider exploring these bills for yourself and voicing your opinions on them through your RTS account!
Why Civic Engagement?
We are called to encourage faithful and nonpartisan voter participation, and understand and speak out about the intersection of voting and elections and racial, gender and economic justice. The ELCA is established to be a “publicly engaged church.” The ELCA social teachings on educating, advocating, and engaging in our political process, including Government and Civic Engagement, Church in Society, the new Social Statement on Civic Life and Faith, and the the ELCAvotes initiatives Called to Be a Public Church, Voting Rights and Racial Justice, Movement into Action speak to this calling.
Voting Rights RTS Action Alerts. The following bills are moving through the Arizona legislature now. If you support restoring voting rights to ex-cons who’ve completed their sentences and all related obligations and if you want counties to establish voting centers in addition to precinct polling places to make voting easier for everyone, consider making your opinion known.
Support
HB2097 - voting rights; restoration (support). Primary Sponsor: Seth Blattman. A person's right to vote is automatically restored on final discharge from probation or imprisonment if the person has not previously been convicted of a felony offense. UPDATE: House First Reading - Referred to House Rules Referred to House Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections Referred to House Judiciary - Jan 16, 2025
HB2363 - voting centers; requirements (support). Primary Sponsor: Oscar de los Santos. Requires county boards of supervisors to establish voting centers in place of or in addition to polling places, allowing voters to receive and cast the appropriate ballot regardless of precinct. UPDATE: House First Reading - Referred to House Rules Referred to House Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections - Jan 23, 2025
Oppose
The bills LAMA opposes disenfranchise voters by making voting more difficult for more Arizonans. HB2017 eliminates voting centers and requires everyone to vote at their precinct; HB2673 requires voters on the Early Voting List (EVL) to confirm their address every voting cycle and in addition, early voting ballots must be deposited at early voting locations by 7 pm on Friday before Election Day, or at officer of person in charge of elections on Election Day; and SB1152 shortens the time period in which early ballots are distributed.
HB2017 - voting centers ban; precinct size (oppose). Primary Sponsor: Rachel Keshel. Prohibits the use of voting centers, requiring instead that polling places be designated within each precinct. Restricts precinct sizes to a maximum of 1,000 registered voters. Counties are no longer allowed to establish on-site early voting locations. UPDATE: House Minority Caucus - Placed On House Minority Caucus Calendar - Jan 28, 2025
HB2673 - early ballots; deadlines; foreign money (oppose). Primary Sponsor: Alexander Kolodin. Prohibits the use of funds, goods, or services from foreign governments or nongovernmental sources in election administration and mandates certification to ensure compliance. Requires early voters to confirm their address each election cycle and introduces a unique early voter ID for enhanced verification. Beginning in 2027, voted early ballots and affidavits must be deposited at an early voting location by 7:00 PM on the Friday before election day or delivered to the office of the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections by 7:00 PM on election day. Establishes penalties for violations, including accepting foreign contributions to influence elections. UPDATE: Unanimously pass House Rules Committee on Feb 03, 2025; scheduled for Majority and Minority Caucus Readings on Feb 04, 2025.
SB1152 - early voting; mailing date (oppose). Primary Sponsor: David Gowan. Revises the timing for early ballot distribution and mailing for elections to allow early ballot distribution to begin 21 days before the election, instead of the previous 27 days. Ballots must be mailed no later than 18 days before the election, reduced from the prior 24-day deadline. UPDATE: Placed On Senate Judiciary and Elections Agenda - Scheduled for Senate Judiciary and Elections hearing - Feb 05, 2025 02:00PM
Using your RTS Account
Navigate to azleg.gov, click on Legislative Information/Request to Speak)
Sign in, click the blue ‘Request to Speak’ button
Click ‘My Bill Positions’, enter the bill number, and let the title auto-fill into the field
Indicate your position, and click ‘Add’
If you have any questions on these bills, make sure to read the bill texts, available on your RTS accounts! If you still want to know more about how these bills might affect vulnerable Arizonans, reach out to us at director@lamaz.org.
For a tutorial on navigating your RTS account check out our last post in this series!