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Judge Rejects GOP Challenge To Mail-In Voting In Arizona
Epoch Times ^ | 06/08/2022 | Caden Pearson

Posted on 06/08/2022 8:23:01 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

A judge has ruled that Arizona’s legislature is within its constitutional rights to allow “no-excuse” mail-in ballots, denying the state GOP’s legal challenge ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.

Mojave County Superior Court Judge Lee Jantzen ruled against the Arizona GOP and its chair, Dr. Kelli Ward, in support of a 1991 law that permits no-excuse mail-in ballots.

“Defendants for the past thirty years have applied the laws of Arizona as written,” Jantzen wrote in his ruling (pdf). “The laws are far from perfect and nobody anticipated thirty years ago that approximately 90 percent of Arizona voters would vote by mail-in ballot during a pandemic, but these laws are NOT in violation of the Arizona Constitution.”

No-excuse mail-in ballots “are not inapposite of the intentions of the framers of the Constitution,” he added.

The Arizona GOP signalled their intention to “explore their next steps” following the ruling, including to appeal it in a higher court.

Election integrity in Arizona has been pressing issue since the 2020 general elections, the results of which have been vigorously disputed. In 2020, around 89 percent of voters voted by mail before election day.

The Republican Party of Arizona, under Chairwoman Dr. Kelli Ward, is concerned that if this ruling stands, Arizona’s most vulnerable voters will be deprived of the protections to which they are constitutionally entitled,” the Arizona GOP said in a statement on Monday.

The Arizona GOP said it seeks to restore mail-in ballots for the “sick, elderly, and other absentee voters” to ensure they have the constitutionally guaranteed protection of election officials safeguarding their votes from “ballot traffickers.”

“We are sorry that the most vulnerable voters of Arizona will not receive the protections to which they are constitutionally entitled if this ruling stands—people who truly cannot make it to the polls versus those who find convenience voting in the comfort of their homes,” said Alex Kolodin, the attorney representing the case.

Our statement on today’s ruling of "No-Excuse" Mail-in Voting. pic.twitter.com/NBSyh4nGqm — Republican Party of Arizona (@AZGOP) June 7, 2022

The Arizona GOP argues that a lack of chain of custody “when a voter votes by mail under our current system” exposes the election system to weakness. They also argue that there is no possible way to ensure the secrecy of a ballot cast by mail.

Ballot secrecy is a key pillar of the state’s mail-in ballot laws, which Jantzen noted in his written ruling.

The language of the state constitution does not prohibit mail-in ballots yet does allow new laws concerning voting to be passed as long as secrecy in voting is preserved, Jantzen wrote.

He noted that mail-in voting began in Arizona in 1918 “to allow people that could not get to the polls, mostly military people, an opportunity to vote.”

“These laws mandated the mail-in voter keep his ballot private, so the legislature had the right to write election laws in 1918 that maintained secrecy, and they did so,” Jantzen wrote.

On June 4, Ward, who has been challenging the no-excuse mail-in voter system, said on Twitter, “I want voting to occur in person and on Election Day, don’t you?”

I want voting to occur in person and on Election Day, don’t you? 🤔 — Dr. Kelli Ward 🇺🇸 (@kelliwardaz) June 3, 2022

The Arizona legislature approved no-excuse mail-in voting in 1991, and it became effective on Jan. 1, 1992. The law states that early ballots must be returned in envelopes “of a type that does not reveal the voter’s selections or political party affiliation and that is tamper evident when properly sealed.”

Mail-in ballots must be folded and sealed in an envelope, Jantzen noted, along with an affidavit, in a way “so as to conceal the vote.” They are then either delivered, mailed, or deposited by the voter or the voter’s agent “at any polling place in the county.”

A state Supreme Court appeal by Ward that challenged ballot boxes and remote voting was already rejected in April, Just The News reported.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Arizona
KEYWORDS: arizona; judge; leejantzen; mailin; voting
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1 posted on 06/08/2022 8:23:01 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

So the judge says cheating is OK.


2 posted on 06/08/2022 8:27:40 PM PDT by mfish13 (Elections have Consequences.)
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To: mfish13

Arizona was rigged to a fare-thee-well in 2020.


3 posted on 06/08/2022 8:36:15 PM PDT by kiryandil (China Joe and Paycheck Hunter - the Chink in America's defenses)
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To: SeekAndFind

The Court is NOT the place for this.

THE ARIZONA LEGISLATURE IS SUPPOSED TO TAKE CARE OF THIS.

Hopefully they get a NEW group who will take care of it.

Where the heck is Wendy Rogers??


4 posted on 06/08/2022 8:38:35 PM PDT by Maris Crane
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To: SeekAndFind

Of course he rejected it. Republicans don’t stand a chance in the extreme far left’s so called “courts”. The black robed Nazi tyrants won’t allow it.


5 posted on 06/08/2022 8:41:29 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Don't blame me, I voted for President Trump.)
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Where are Mitch McConnell’s judges?


6 posted on 06/08/2022 8:48:36 PM PDT by TakebackGOP
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To: SeekAndFind; All
"Judge Rejects GOP Challenge To Mail-In Voting In Arizona"

And then we have this.

Breaking: Yuma County School Board Member Set To Plead Guilty For 2020 Election Ballot Trafficking Crimes As Exposed In “2000 Mules”- State Senate Candidate Gary Snyder Who Busted the Fraud Weighs In (5.27.22)

Insights welcome.

Also, Trump's red tsunami of patriot supporters are reminded that they must vote twice this election year. Your first vote is to primary career RINO incumbents. Your second vote is to replace outgoing Democrats and RINOs with Trump-endorsed patriot candidates.

Again, insights welcome.

7 posted on 06/08/2022 8:54:08 PM PDT by Amendment10 ( )
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To: Maris Crane

Exactly. Assuming that Arizona law permits mail-in ballots (and if the law is being challenged I have to assume that’s the case) the judge was correct. It’s not the job of the judiciary to bail out short-sighted politicians; the legislature needs to take care of it.


8 posted on 06/08/2022 8:54:45 PM PDT by fluffy
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To: SeekAndFind

Make other plans! SURELY there’s a way to do “on the ground” work to stop the steal.


9 posted on 06/08/2022 8:55:43 PM PDT by FrankRizzo890
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To: fluffy

fluffy, why don’t they know that?????

Thanks for the comment.


10 posted on 06/08/2022 8:57:25 PM PDT by Maris Crane
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To: SeekAndFind

Is there anywhere with mail in voting the democrats don’t win? Look at Oregon. Never a challenge to the “votes” no records of the votes, and the democrats ALWAYS win where it matters.


11 posted on 06/08/2022 9:02:23 PM PDT by Organic Panic (Democrats. Memories as short as Joe Biden's eyes)
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To: SeekAndFind

So much for AZ.


12 posted on 06/08/2022 9:04:19 PM PDT by Rich21IE
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To: mfish13

Yup- gonna be a free-for-all of cheating in arizona now- the only thing left to answer is which side will cheat the most to get the ‘win’?


13 posted on 06/08/2022 9:15:46 PM PDT by Bob434 (.)
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To: Organic Panic

Ohio.


14 posted on 06/08/2022 9:17:19 PM PDT by pleasedontzotme
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To: mfish13

It’s been on the books since 1991. The Left has figured out a way to cheat using it.

I think it’s pretty obvious that the ballots that they used to tilt the election were invalid in every case, missing the correct information, but were counted anyway.

I think they should be banned, completely.

The simple solution is to ban them. Have the Arizona legislature get rid of the law that allows them.

I think a simple solution is expanding the criteria for an Absentee Ballot. If someone is so petrified of voting in person have them attest to that and request an Absentee Ballot. At least they have to prove they exist and are registered.


15 posted on 06/08/2022 10:53:50 PM PDT by qaz123
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To: TakebackGOP

“Where are Mitch McConnell’s judges?’

McStupid fooled people for a long time with his judges routine.

Conservative Inc loves the guy because he’s a fraud & a phony deep state POS, just like they’re.

“Birds of feather flock together”


16 posted on 06/08/2022 11:55:51 PM PDT by unclebankster (Globalism is the last refuge of a scoundrel)
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To: SeekAndFind

These games are stupid. We have the same clowns in PA. Impeach the judges and get on with life.


17 posted on 06/09/2022 12:14:42 AM PDT by TooBusy
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To: SeekAndFind

Arizona legislators need to be replaced. Which is hard to do when they own the ballot box through fraud.

A Federal law for Federal elections could stop it too.


18 posted on 06/09/2022 12:19:49 AM PDT by Revel
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To: SeekAndFind

Clearly that law needs to be gotten rid of. Mail in voting is the least secure means of voting. It should be banned.


19 posted on 06/09/2022 2:23:49 AM PDT by FLT-bird
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To: SeekAndFind

Laws that require mail in ballot to have either a drivers license number or a Social Security number upon both registering and voting do provide a chain of custody. They did that in both Texas and Georgia. It prevents both illegals from voting and out of district people from voting. Signature matching is a joke when offered up as a chain of custody guarantee.

DL or SS # requirements appear to be the best we can hope for and should be the real focus of any challenge to mail in voting..


20 posted on 06/09/2022 4:35:14 AM PDT by Mustangman
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