The Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee filed a joint lawsuit in the United States District Court of Arizona on Friday on behalf of voters affected by voting irregularities resulting from the actions of state officials. The suit is a response to decisions by Maricopa County Recorder, Helen Purcell, that caused extremely long lines and needlessly disenfranchised voters during the state’s March 22nd presidential primary election.
Former Chairman and First President of the Navajo Nation Peterson Zah, the Arizona Democratic Party, and the Ann Kirkpatrick for Senate campaign as plaintiffs.
Among those named as defendants in the suit are the Arizona Secretary of State, Michele Reagan, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and Purcell.
For some unknown reason, the suit claims it was the state’s decision to drastically reduce the number of voting locations, forcing thousands of voters to wait in lines for up to five hours, as well as the state’s rejection of provisional ballots. Although Reagan had a duty to ensure that the counties performed properly, it was Purcell’s decision to reduce polling places.
“Republicans are using every tool, every legal loophole and every fear tactic they can think of to take aim at voting rights wherever they can. And what they’re aiming at is clear – they want nothing less than to disenfranchise voting groups who are inconvenient to them on Election Day. That’s exactly what Arizona’s officials did when they closed polling locations and rejected thousands of provisional ballots, and it’s exactly what they’ll continue to do if left unchecked. This is absolutely wrong, and it’s why this lawsuit is absolutely necessary. Democrats believe our country is stronger when every voice is heard and every vote is counted, and we will keep fighting to make sure the sacred right of every American to vote is protected,” stated DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz
“Nobody should be forced to wait hours in line to exercise one of the most basic and important rights in our democracy, and it is important that voting rights are protected all across our country. In recent years Republicans have engaged in a clear and systematic attempt to limit access to the ballot box, and what happened in Arizona is only the latest example. If the concept of fair and free elections is in danger anywhere in our country it must be addressed head on, which is what we intend to do,” complained Senator Jon Tester, Chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
“Arizonans were denied their constitutional right to vote because those who run the system weren’t prepared, and it can never happen again. Today’s action is about representing every Arizona voter who stood in line for far too long or was forced to go home without casting a ballot. Every American citizen regardless of their party registration, ethnicity, primary language or where they live should never be prevented from their constitutional right to cast a ballot,” claimed Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick