Grand Canyon Times

Senator Jake Hoffman, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Government, has urged the Clean Elections Commission to adhere to state law after it enacted a rule that allegedly blocks certain qualified Arizona candidates from participating in general election debates. This rule requires candidates to receive at least 1% of total ballots cast in all primaries for their office to qualify for debates, effectively barring some political parties' candidates.

The Senate Government Committee oversees agency rulemaking and its compliance with statutes. Chairman Hoffman communicated with the Clean Elections Commission regarding this alleged violation. The rule was reportedly not submitted for approval to the Governor’s Regulatory Review Council (GRRC) as required by the Arizona Administrative Procedures Act (APA), violating a 2018 voter-approved measure.

Chairman Hoffman criticized what he termed as "unlawful government overreach" by the Commission in attempting to exclude candidates from public debates without proper legislative authority. He called on the Commission to submit the rule through standard procedures and allow all qualified candidates to participate in debates until new rules are lawfully adopted.

"Arizona law only gives the Commission discretion to determine the manner in which debates are conducted," stated Chairman Hoffman. "It does not give the Commission unfettered discretion to pick and choose which candidates get to participate."

As part of his investigation, Chairman Hoffman requested more information from the Commission on September 19, seeking insight into the circumstances surrounding this rule change. The request is still pending fulfillment.