Grand Canyon Times

A self-described election integrity group is urging U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Tuscon) to oppose Senate Bill 1, legislation that critics argue will effectively federalize the nation’s elections.

“Arizonans want elections in their state to be simple and secure, easy to vote and hard to cheat,” said a recent video posted on the Election Transparency Initiative website. “We are calling on Sen. Kyrsten Sinema to listen to her constituents and oppose S. 1, Washington’s attempt to override the state’s election laws. With public trust in elections at an all-time low, voters in Arizona want to see increased security, transparency, and accountability – not a Washington takeover of state elections that serves the interests of corrupt politicians.”

Much of the push for revising elections laws nationwide stemmed from former President Donald Trump's unfounded complaints that he lost the 2020 election due to voter fraud.

Sinema is on record as being opposed to a procedural maneuver that would eliminate the filibuster, which could give Democrats a path to push through S.1 and other legislation locked up in an evenly split Senate with 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans. Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, could break a tie on a floor vote on S.1 if Sinema and other moderate Democrats supported the bill. 

With the filibuster in place, however, Democrats need 60 votes to position the legislation for a vote.

An analysis of S.1 by the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules & Administration shows that state voter ID provisions and other key measures of state election laws, would be steamrolled by S.1. Regarding voter ID, for instance, the federal legislation allow voters to sign an affidavit attesting to their identify rather than presenting an ID.

The legislation would also override state law restricting ballot harvesting, the third-party collection of mail ballots, by political activists – a practice many states have restricted because it invites voter fraud. The committee analysis said that ballot harvesters can either forge ballots or trick voters, especially elderly citizens. 

Another controversial provision in the Senate legislation, critics argue, would send $6 of taxpayers’ money to political candidates for every $1 they raise from small donors, forcing Americans to fund candidates they oppose, and support attack ads against candidates they support.

A majority of voters, moreover, support voter-ID laws and restrictions on ballot harvesting, according to polls. A recent poll cited by the Rules & Administration shows that 56% of Americans support voter-ID laws and 36% oppose them. 

Another poll places national support for voter ID at 75%, including 69% of Black voters and 60% of Democrats. And 62% of respondents in one poll believe that ballot harvesting should be outlawed entirely.

Finally, Arizona election law prohibits ballot harvesting, voting by felons, the reception of mail-in ballots after Election Day, automatic voter registration, and same day voter registration. Additionally, Arizona mandates that voters must show photo ID or two forms of non-photo ID to cast a ballot. S.1 will nullify all of these prohibitions.