Arizona Democrats Challenge New Law Excluding Missing Signatures On Ballots
During the 2016 and 2018 elections, Maricopa County rejected a combined 4,065 mail-in ballots from voters for missing signatures.
This week, the Democratic Party filed a lawsuit to include those ballots going forward.
Democratic Party leaders call it “draconian” and question lawmakers’ motives in passing a law last year that allows five days to cure ballots with questionable signatures, but automatically rejects any ballots missing signatures.
Democrats allege the rule is financially and politically driven, forcing them to launch ad campaigns educating voters in areas with low English literacy rates.
Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, proposed a similar rule last year to allow five days for unsigned ballots, but withdrew the language after Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich challenged the decision.
