Let me explain why America and the state of Arizona need the proposed voter protection law known as Senate Bill 1 (the “For the People Act”).
States like Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida and many others are passing new voting legislation that will restrict voting, especially absentee voting. They are taking over state and local election boards so that they can override election results, and in some cases nullify the will of the voters.
The new Arizona law, for example, allows the state legislature to simply invalidate county and local election results, and also makes the state voting laws immune from being reviewed by Arizona state courts.
The Arizona state legislature opposes Senate Bill 1 because it will require that citizens be able to vote freely as they do now, and will require states to certify the results that the majority of the people vote for.
States like Arizona, Michigan, Florida, Wisconsin, West Virginia, in other words, want to be able to regulate who votes and they don’t want to have to certify whichever results the people vote for. Only national voter-protection laws can stop this.
Senate Bill 1 establishes standards for access to the polls for voters in all states. It requires that all states have a paper trail record of every vote. It requires that voters identify themselves when registering and voting, establishes identification requirements and gives alternatives for the small number of voters who lack driver’s licenses. Senate Bill 1 outlaws attempts by any foreign government or foreign individual to interfere in our elections. It requires that anyone from out of state who spends money to influence elections in our state to identify themselves. Right now, out-of-state money can come into a state anonymously and spend an unlimited amount.
What Senate Bill 1 does not do is restrict states’ ability to regulate their own elections, except in cases where states attempt to restrict access to the polls in order to benefit one party or the other.
Out-of-state and foreign interests right now are spending to defeat these laws, placing ads in publications and on social media, because they do not want to be required to identify themselves, and large political action committees want to continue to spend without limit to bend elections to their will.
Anyone interested can read and review the text of the law now being considered by Congress. Look at congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1/text, or do a simple Google search.
