26 March 2016

Maricopa County Prez Primary 2016 Election = A Fiasco + A National Disgrace

Outrage and investigations on the state and federal levels have been provoked by massive suppression of voters' rights here during last Tuesday's elections in Maricopa County for the presidential preference primary.
The reactions from voters were fierce, fast and furious even in districts where less than 50% of eligible voters took the time to get registered.
Both Arizona Governor Doug Ducey got involved and Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton asked for a Department of Justice investigation to confirm legal actions to examine the issues after voters raise their voices to complain. Your MesaZona blogger at this point in time has not heard a statement from Mayor John Giles.
The Arizona State Legislature is on schedule for hearings to start on Monday. Even in news outlets on the other side of the planet in the Arab world, this report from Gulf News had this to say:
[March 26, 2016 | Last updated less than one minute ago]
PHOENIX: Hours-long waits for some Arizona residents for presidential primary voting have led to accusations of voter suppression from Democrats and civil rights proponents who cite a decision by elections officials to slash the number of polling places this year.Residents in metro Phoenix have been bristling for years over a perception that state leaders want to make it harder for them to vote, and the mess at the polls Tuesday only heightened their frustration.
Helen Purcell, recorder for Maricopa County shown in the image to the left,  took responsibility for Tuesday’s foul-up and acknowledged she made a mistake. She said she relied on voter turnout expectations, the fact independents could not vote in the primary, and that most Arizonans are mailed early ballots. But she said the problems at the polls were in no way intended to suppress participation.

NBC News ran this piece by Raul A. Reyes yesterday Mar 25 2016, 2:50 pm ET 
Opinion: Latinos Disenfranchised in Arizona Primary Fiasco
What a mess. The big news out of Arizona on Tuesday night wasn't only the respective victories by presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. It was also the abject failure of Maricopa County officials to properly run the elections.
The 2016 Arizona primary was a disgrace. Not only did it reflect extraordinarily poor judgment by elected officials, Maricopa County in effect disenfranchised untold numbers of voters. This sorry state of affairs illustrates why Latinos still need the protections of the Voting Rights Act.

No comments:

LATEST FROM CITY OF MESA AZ; WhaHoo!!

  Latest from City of Mesa 2:24:43 NOW PLAYING Council Study Session - 3/28/2024 No views 1 hour ago City of Mesa For the video with the  ag...