A Yavapai County Superior Court judge blocked Section 4 of HB2839, following a lawsuit from the Republican Party of Arizona.
The new law, passed by the state legislature and signed by Governor Doug Ducey in early March, changed the way political party precinct committeemen were selected.
After the enactment, the legislation took away the power to elect precinct committeemen and allowed the political party’s local county committee to pick the individuals.
“The County Association and Legislature inadvertently derailed an entire election due to lack of foresight and communication. Precincts are the backbone of our elections, and any legislation that impacts precincts means that our elections will be less secure, less representative, and less responsive,” said Arizona Republican National Committeeman Tyler Bowyer in a press release, after the ruling. “I am pleased many of our representatives now better understand the important role that Precinct Committeeman elections hold and are working to defend precincts and the integrity of our system for future generations.”
Thank goodness for great leadership from @AZGOP chair @kelliwardaz — and the MANY county chairs including Chairman Lois from @GOPinYavapaiAZ pic.twitter.com/TRANCRlney
— Tyler Bowyer (@tylerbowyer) March 23, 2022
“The Republican Party of Arizona decided to step up and fight for our Precinct Committeemen (PCs) in the only way that would effectively stop HB2839 from removing PC elections from the ballot,” continued Bowyer. “Thank you to Yavapai County Chairwoman Lois Fruhwirth, Secretary Ann Roper, and the Yavapai County Republican Committee for joining our efforts in the lawsuit. Today, Yavapai County PCs packed the courthouse, so much so that the judge commented that he was not used to such a large audience.”
After the legislation was implemented, local leaders decried the measure, leading to the lawsuit.
However, the ruling from the judge is solely focused on Section 4 of the bill. The other sections, which clarifies the number of signatures required to be placed on the ballot in Congressional and Legislative primary elections.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for the Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Tyler Bower” by Tyler Bower. Background Photo “Arizona Capitol” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.
