Taylor Earl, of the Goldwater Institute wrote this week of Phoenix and Tucson move to reduce voter turnout. Earl writes, that “in the state’s two largest cities – Phoenix and Tucson – voter turnout rates for the most recent local candidate elections hovered at a mere 30 percent.”
According to Earl, the Arizona Legislature enacted in 2012 “a simple fix that will dramatically increase voter turnout in cities and towns across the state.” HB 2826 requires Arizona municipalities to hold local candidate elections on the same day as statewide candidate elections, which would are August or September and November of even-numbered years.
In the case of Scottsdale, which aligned its election dates in this manner in 2008according to Earl, has increased its turnout rates from 30 percent to between 60 and 85 percent. Earl notes that similar increases occurred in Chandler after the city aligned its elections with statewide elections.
Goldwater calls Phoenix and Tucson the “30 percenters.” Those two cities have filed a lawsuit to ‘evade the law before its positive effects can be felt,” according to Earl. The cities argue that the state cannot require charter cities to move their election dates despite the fact that the move would increase voter participation.
Goldwater argues that “under the Arizona Constitution, cities may establish city charters, but those charters are subject to state law. If a charter conflicts with state law, state law trumps.
The only exception to this rule is that when the conflict arises in an area of purely local interest, city charters prevail in the case of conflict. But Arizona courts have already established that the dates on which cities hold local elections is not a matter of purely local interest but is instead a matter of statewide concern.”
Residents of these two cities have known full-well that the last thing their representatives want are more people involved in determining who elects them.
However, the people f those communities are not taking the continued marginalization sitting down, the Goldwater Institute has petitioned the trial court to allow it to join in defense of the law. The Goldwater Institute filed as an amicus party representing Representative Michele Ugenti, who sponsored the bill in the legislature, residents of both Phoenix and Tucson, who recognize the value of election alignment, and the Institute itself as the drafter of the bill.
The Goldwater Institute says they are confident that the court will recognize Arizona’s interest in increasing voter turnout, decreasing voter apathy, and saving taxpayers money.