Arizona Senate Passes Early Voter Purge Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Arizona Senate Republicans passed Senate Bill 1485 on Tuesday, a bill that would purge over 140,000 voters from the state’s Permanent Early Voting List (PEVL). The PEVL is a hugely popular provision that allows voters to receive a mail ballot automatically in each election after they join the list. There are currently 2,047,365 voters on the PEVL; S.B. 1485 would require voters to stay “active” in order to remain on the list, meaning they must have voted at least once in the previous two election cycles. This change particularly targets infrequent voters, like students who rely on their ballot being mailed to them each election.
Democrats in the state Senate stood against the legislation on Tuesday, with many taking their designated time to speak on the floor to focus on the disproportionate impact the bill would have on voters of color. Republicans repeatedly called points of order to shut down the criticism. The Arizona House passed the legislation at the end of last month, and on Tuesday the state Senate approved the lower chamber’s amendments and advanced the bill to Gov. Doug Ducey’s (R) desk, who is expected to sign it into law.