Arizona State Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Mesa) and House Speaker Ben Toma (R-Peoria) sent a letter to Governor Katie Hobbs Monday, outlining their concerns and refusal to participate with the Elections Task Force (ETF) created through Executive Order 2023-03.
“We agree that election reform is necessary. But we question whether your unilateral decision to appoint a task force and direct it to address this subject of paramount and statewide importance is an appropriate exercise of your authority,” according to the letter.
Hobbs made the executive order in early January, stating that “more can be done” to strengthen the laws around elections in the state. Although, she prefaced this by declaring Arizona’s elections are “fair, secure, and free” currently. The ETF would consist of at least 12 bipartisan members, two of which would be county recorders nominated by Petersen and Toma. Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D) is also a group member, and it would ultimately be up to Hobbs to appoint the remaining members. The group is responsible for studying election laws and presenting a final report to Hobbs by November 1st detailing any “gaps and challenges” in the state’s laws.
However, according to their letter, Petersen and Toma “feel it is inappropriate” to nominate county recorders in accordance with the order. One issue the legislators brought up with the ETF is that it is the legislature’s responsibility, not the governor, to make decisions involving election laws. They insisted that the strength of the legislature handling election laws is that they get discussed and debated in an open forum that involves multiple perspectives. However, Petersen and Toma shared concern that the ETF would limit participation.
“Your task force, however, limits the voices that can participate and leaves no room for legislative input,” according to the letter.
Moreover, the legislators claimed that the ETF might circumvent the Elections Procedure Manual (EMP) creation process. Under Arizona law, the Secretary of State must create the EMP in consultation with election officials from all 15 counties, the attorney general (AG), and the governor. A draft of the EMP must be submitted to the AG and governor by October 1st. Petersen and Toma alleged the ETF presents issues because it excludes some required officials and does not keep with the EMP timeline.
Ultimately, while the lawmakers said they would not participate in Hobbs’s executive order, they asked that she would still “carefully consider” all bills passed by the House and Senate during this session.
Kim Quintero, a spokeswoman for the Senate Republican Caucus, told The Arizona Sun Times that the caucus had not received any response from the Governor’s Office regarding this letter.
However, Josselyn Berry, the press secretary for Hobbs, told The Sun Times via email that the governor’s office has seen the letter. She also stated that while “it’s a shame” Petersen and Toma chose not to participate, the ETF will move forward regardless. Berry also accused the lawmakers of playing “political stunts.”
The state legislature has been busy reviewing bills to strengthen Arizona’s elections. The Senate Elections Committee has met three times this session to pass bills and hear testimony alleging errors in Arizona’s previous elections that the Legislature should address. The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for Monday at 2 pm.
– – –
Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “Arizona Capitol” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.
