AZ Secretary Of State, Governor Clash Over Election Changes

ARIZONA — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, and Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, aren't seeing eye to eye on new measures intended to encourage Arizonans to register and vote in the Nov. 3 election.

Hobbs has introduced telephone and videoconferencing options to allow voters in certain circumstances to fill out their ballots in November due to the coronavirus pandemic. In-person voter registration has been largely put on the back burner thanks to the pandemic and many voters in the state struggle to register online through ServiceArizona without a WiFi connection, according to Hobbs.

“In response to these valid concerns, my office developed a process for staff to provide limited assistance to eligible Arizonans in initiating the submission of a paper voter registration form by the registration deadline if the voter cannot register through ServiceArizona and cannot otherwise submit a complete voter registration form on their own by the deadline,” Hobbs said in a news release.

These staff members will help determine if a person is eligible to vote and fill out a paper registration form for them. The county would put together teams of two, one person from each major political party. Hobbs has said registration will not take place over the phone.

Hobbs also issued guidance on using videoconferencing or teleconferencing to assist Arizonans in the hospital or long-term assisted living facilities to vote, as visitors are not presently allowed.

But Ducey, in a letter to Hobbs, questioned the legality of the changes.

“These policy changes should be suspended immediately so that Arizonans can continue to have confidence and faith in the integrity of our election system,” Ducey wrote.

The governor asked Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, also a Republican, to look into Hobbs' changes. Brnovich did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Hobbs maintained that these "special election boards" are not new to Arizona, and pointed to legislation that allows the county to deploy people to assist those with illnesses or injuries at the polls. The person dictates to the board over the phone or video how they would like their ballot to be filled out. Hobbs' changes provide guidance for what should happen if they cannot enter a long-term facility.

But Patrick Ptak, a spokesperson for Ducey told Patch that the governor's office received an email on Sept. 20 from the Yuma County Recorder, Robyn Stallworth Pouquette, expressing concerns about the changes regarding election security and integrity. Those concerns have been echoed by other county recorders, he said.

Ptak said that the governor has enjoyed a strong relationship with the secretary of state over the last two years and provided $9 million in funding to ensure voting can be done safely during the pandemic.

"At no time did the Secretary of State's office seek authority or request revisions to the election procedures manual with respect to conducting telephonic voter registration or virtual special election boards," he said. "And as we near the general election, and with limited time to implement or vet such practices, we are not entertaining a discussion on these policies. "