This year, Arizona is considering a transition toward an open primary election model that awards the top two vote-getting candidates a chance to fight it out in a general election. Despite the advertised hope that this would level the playing field for all, the legitimacy of the petition and referendum process has unfortunately been called into question.
The proposed Arizona Open Elections/Open Government Act sets out to “ensure that every person qualified to vote, including those not with any political party, has the right to vote at any election for any candidate, regardless of the voter’s or the candidate’s party affiliation or lack of party affiliation.” The move would be a departure from Arizona’s more common party-run system of primaries. But despite the merits of either system, citizens have the right to know that such amendments to local election policy are brought forth in good faith.
True The Vote and Verify the Vote Arizona began the process of verifying the validity of all petitions circulated in the effort to get the Arizona Open Elections/Open Government Act on the ballot this November. Early research reports offer shocking, flagrant violations of election law.
