BISBEE WIRE/ALL ABOUT THE VOTES/complete rundown/cheat sheet too!

editor: fred miller General Election Voting 2022 10/8/2022

SPECIAL ISSUE

Hello,

This is an important election. I hope you vote. Some of the people running for office have vowed to dismantle the election system as we know it.

In fact there is a meeting on Tuesday/11 at 2:30 at the County Supes building to discuss hand counting of votes. It is a nationwide harassing tactic to counties. The reason machines came into being was because hand counts were unreliable. The meeting was called by Sup. Judd, herself a participant at the rally on Jan 6, "but I didn't enter the building' she has said. Go if you can, write the BoS an email if you can't.

The propositions outlined below-most put on the ballot by the republican legislature-are guaranteed to limit participation in elections, make it more difficult to put initiatives on the ballot, limit initiatives, increase voter IDs. You can almost smell the stench.

I've included a cheat sheet for those that may want some guidance through this long ballot. It is also my way of trying to convince you to vote like I think you should. Take it with a grain of salt. If you would like a stand alone copy send me an email and I'll attach it for you.

Just looking at the ballot and choices, it is so clear that the two party system is SNAFU (for non-military peeps... Situation Normal All Fucked Up) . We have so many choice of things that don't matter-cereal, detergent, ice cream, etc. and so few choices for things that do matter-like who represents us. Over the years the two parties have colluded to make it difficult for any third or fourth party to get on the ballot. It is not worth trying. What is worth considering is Ranked Choice Voting. That deserves some scrutiny and energy in order to force competitiveness. It varies from place to place, but basically if there are 'X' number of people running for an office, you rank your choices from favored to not. The two (or more) top vote getters then go on to a runnoff.

The voting info and commentary is cobbled together from a few things I have been writing; prep for a KBRP magazine segment, an unfinished article for publications, and some notes I made while researching this. Please excuse any repetition and typos.

fred

INTRODUCTION

This election takes place amid two major developments that make any predictions just guesses. 1) the recent supreme court decision striking down roe vs wade and the Arizona judge upholding an 1864 ban on abortions may make women and men angry enough to vote against any candidate or anyone in the republican or democratic parties that support those decisions. 2) there are many republican candidates that are stuck to trump like suckerfish to a shark. Extreme agendas espoused during the primary are not really mitigated much as candidates have campaigned for the general election. (except Masters who has changed more positions than the kama sutra). How much his influence will extend to voting for his acolytes...who knows. The few polls taken last week show a tight race for Hobbs (jeez Katie, get out and fight back!), Kelly up by several points, and Finchem up by a few points. The legally beleaguered Trump (have you noticed his physical deterioration...older, more bald, moving slower, and more weight?) comes into Arizona on Sunday to shore up flagging support for Masters, Lake, and the 'trump ticket'. They will all be lucky to get a mention as his appearances are all about him. According to the Washington Post there are 12 republican candidates running for office in Arizona that are out and out election deniers. The Post has identified candidates as election deniers if they directly questioned Biden’s victory, opposed the counting of Biden’s electoral college votes, expressed support for a partisan post-election ballot review, signed onto a lawsuit seeking to overturn the 2020 result or attended or expressed support for the rally on the day of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. There are nearly 300 republican candidates nation wide that are election deniers. NUTS N' BOLTS To be eligible to vote, make sure you’re registered by October 11th. You can check your voter registration at vote.org or through the portal at https://servicearizona.com/VoterRegistration. It’s also worth confirming your registration if you haven’t voted in a while - if your status has been classified as inactive, you may have to register again. You will be getting different ballots depending on which CD or LD you live. In Bisbee, only those in Old Bisbee and Saginaw sections will be voting on the Douglas AMA. To vote in person if you live in Bisbee, go to the County board of supervisors building at 1415 Melody Lane. All other vote centers are here: https://www.cochise.az.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4575/Vote-Center-Locations-PDF If you live in Bisbee or Douglas you are in…CD7 (Congressional District/Federal) BISBEE/douglas If you live in anywhere else in Cochise County you are in…CD 6 (Congressional District/Federal) rest of Cochise County If you live in Bisbee you are in LD21 (Legislative District/State) f you live in anywhere else in Cochise County you are in LD19 (Legislative District/State) rest of Cochise County TIMELINE Oct 11: deadline to register to vote Oct 12: early ballots mailed out Oct 28: last day to request a ballot by mail Nov 1: mail your ballot back by Nov 4: last day to vote early in person Nov 8: election day where the magic happens PEEPS TO CONTACT WITH QUESTIONS County Election Director Lisa Marra 1415 Melody Lane, Bldng. E Bisbee, AZ 85603 520-432-8975 lmarra@cochise.az.gov County Recorder David Stevens 1415 Melody Lane, Bldng. B Bisbee, AZ 85603 520-432-8350 recorder@cochise.az.gov ............ ADDITIONAL RESOURSES For more in-depth info go here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1p8hhclUupaELvSFekvZyC8ee-o-0HsCUwFG6JcW3lbU/edit A VOTERS GUIDE TO HOW SCHOOLS ARE FUNDED https://azluminaria.org/2022/09/15/education-funding-101-an-arizona-voters-guide/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

This election takes place amid a huge amount of money spent on candidates. It is not far fetched to say that federal congressional offices are now commodities that are bought. Open Secrets.org, a non-ideological group that tracks election spending, has said that all spending on the 2022 federal elections as of September 20 will top $9.3 billion. They also reported that total outside spending on all Federal elections throughout the nation has surpassed $1 billion! That is 25% more than in 2018. Conservative republican groups are outspending democrats 2 to 1. For State candidates, seethemoney.org has donors broken out by the amount given. And followthemoney.org is another political money tracking organization. October 15 and 29 are deadlines for filing campaign contributions post primary and pre- general respectively and the last reports before elections. Often money is contributed and spent in the final two weeks so as not to be reported until after the election. Redistricting occurs once every 10 years based on the census. This is the first race with new districts.

CANDIDATES

City of Bisbee council positions were decided in the Primary. All current councilmembers will remain in office save one in San Jose Ward 3 that did not have a candidate and no write in qualified. So if there is one or more write-in votes,the highest number will get the seat. (although I'm not clear on this)

There are no elections for county supervisor

There will be two proposals on the ballot for all Bisbee voters, and and additional water AMA for OB, Saginaw, and Lowell.

Proposition 421 YES

(This will allow a continuation of a 1 cent sales tax with the revenue generated going to street repair and payment of PSPRS)

I support Prop 421, it will not increase taxes. But I would really have liked to see percentages of the dough goes to streets and what goes to PSPRS. I agree that something should go to the pension program but in reality, it is slowly strangling our community. Until true reform-in my opinion folding it in the ASRS, the state retirement system, and allowing PSPRS to wither away-is done, we will have more and more money sucked out of our general budget for the next umpteen years. This is a minor patch.

Proposition 422 YES (Douglas AMA/Old Bisbee & Saginaw only)

Budget Override Continuation YES

Bisbee Unified School District

(This will allow the district to continue to fund student programs, and offer competitive employee benefits)

CANDIDATES

SENATOR

Mark Kelly…D has raised $52,403,343 (last report July)

Blake Masters…R has raised $4,998,555 (last report September)

Marc Victor….L has raised $124,103 (last report July)

Newby Blake Master is trying to unseat incumbent Senator Mark Kelly.

Many veterans, myself included, are particularly disgusted by Blake Masters who has called military people incompetent bozos. He has no military experience and is oblivious to the thousands of Arizona military veterans during his campaign. Masters has never held any public service office of any kind. Supported by the former president, D. Trump, Masters has flirted with the ‘election was stolen’ lie.

He WAS adamant that no woman should get an abortion! He WAS more pro-birth and pro-personhood for fetuses than the most ardent zealot. Until it became politically inconvenient for him and all of a sudden he WASN’T! Although strongly opposed to same sex marriage, he took $13 million from the billionaire Peter Thiel who is in a same sex marriage. And Masters worked for Thiel for years while (apparently) holding his malignant views of his boss.

Senator Mark Kelly, a retired Navy officer and astronaut, is a moderate democrat, no nonsense, no wild accusations, not flashy, but he gets stuff done out of the media spotlight. Most recently healthcare for burn victims of the Iraq war. He is married to the former Representative Gabriel Gifford, shot in the head while holding a constituent meeting in her district. Kelly is known for gun reform and veteran’s issues. He was also a key player in getting money to states, including Arizona, for needed infrastructure through the Inflation Reduction Act.

Marc Victor is one of the few libertarians on the ballot, although there are a few write in candidates. He has anemic fundraising and the best hope is that he will siphon votes from Masters.

REPRESENTATIVE CD7

Raul Grijalva….D has raised $425,978

Pozzolo….R has raised $61,830

We, in Bisbee, are in such a heavily dem district and Grijalva-despite being accused of liking his drinks-should win in a walk.

REPRESENTATIVE CD6

Kirsten Engel…D has raised $1,272,012

Juan Ciscomani ….R has raised $1,687,559

This is an important race because it is to fill the retiring Rep Ann Kirkpatrick seat. Lotsa dough in play.

If you live outside of Bisbee Engel is the one to vote for. She has legislative experience, is an attorney, and ticks all the right boxes.

Ciscomani likes guns, wants to stop federalizing elections, pro birth/anti abortion, and other pablum. No concrete suggestions if he is in congress.

GOVERNOR

Katie Hobbs…D

Kari Lake…R

The Arizona contest for Governor pits Democrat Katie Hobbs, the current AZ secretary of state against Kari Lake, a former TV news reader who was also blessed by Trump-as she, like others, paid big bucks for an audience to kiss the ring at mar-a-lago. (trump is such a grifter!)

Hobbes is running an interesting campaign eschewing large rallies in favor of small gatherings. Although a debate was scheduled with her opponent, Hobbes declined the traditional format, but suggested separate appearances in a town hall format. That was rejected. It remains to be seen whether that will help or hurt her. Although she has articulated several concrete measures that as governor she would support, none has been as powerful as her opposition to the 1864 ban on abortions that was recently upheld by a judge in Pima County.

Kari Lake, the Republican candidate, repeats, Trump talking points almost verbatim. Her television years have left her seemingly unable to speak without a teleprompter to read and apparently, original thinking for her is as repugnant as sunlight is to Vampires.

In her rallies she talks trash and lies about Hobbs and relies on the MAGA playbook. Stolen election? Check. Immigrants are rapists? Check. No experience? Check. Cameras in school classrooms? Check. Hates the media that provided her livelihood for 20 years? Check. No abortions? Check. Continue a ban abortion pills? Check. No solutions to problems? Check.

But in some ways she is a measure of how far women have come in American politics. In addition to empty suits there are now empty blouses as well.

SECRETARY OF STATE

Adrian Fontes….D

Mark Finchem…R

Among several interesting State races, many of them being election denying vs. upholding democracy, none has quite captured attention as much as the Secretary of State contest.

Mark Finchem, the Republican, likely has more notoriety than anyone else running. The former Michigan resident believes that the presidential Election was stolen. He certainly doesn’t trust the voters to pick the best candidate because he advocates doing away with early voting (about 60-75% of voters use early voting). Finchem voted by mail in 28 of 30 elections yet he wants to do away with voting by mail. Well, logic doesn't come into play with him.

Recently it was revealed that he did not declare his $2,000 monthly pension income on his tax return for several years. The job he is running for demands that he oversee financial disclosures.

He advocates that the legislature should have the power to override the will of the voter, he is for hand counting ballots and using special paper for voting. All measures that cost tons more money for counties and cities but don’t add one iota of election security. He talked about “ballot harvesting” as if it’s akin to illegal “organ harvesting” and common practice throughout the state when the reality was that two women in Yuma AZ were convicted of dropping off a total of 10 ballots.

There’s a stench of antisemitism surrounding Arizona politics currently. Finchem, who paid $63,000 to kiss the ring, has said the Holocaust was a result of ‘cancel culture’, and frequently makes references to George Soros and Michael Bloomberg implying that they are responsible for everything people should be angry about.

Adrian Fontes (Finchem’s opponent) a former Marine, is running a campaign pointing out the danger to democracy of having a foe of voting elected to the office responsible for monitoring voting.

ATTORNEY GENERAL

Kris Mayes…D

Abraham Hamadeh…R

Abe Hamadeh who is running for attorney general with scant prosecutorial experience also doesn’t like Jews. He too, has made it a point to specifically single out George Soros and Michael Bloomberg, who are Jewish, for funding his opponents campaign. In his intemperate youth he made many antisemitic comments. Hamadeh’s father was not only in the country illegally for seven years but was indicted for conspiracy to commit arson after a Chicago synagogue was firebombed several years ago. The charges were later dropped. His main point seems to be Law and Order. If you want a kick, go her and see his endorsements Kimberly Guilfoyle endorses him, wow! https://www.abeforag.com/endorsements.

Kris Mayes is a former corporation commissioner, is putting forth good proposals about climate change. And vowing to do something about the ban on abortions. She is the one to vote for.

STATE MINE INSPECTOR

Paul Marsh….R….unopposed

Have some fun and write in your favorite bozo.

STATE TREASURER

Martin Quezada….D

Kimberly Yee…..R

Quezada is a current state senator. Yee was running for governor, but Lake scared her away and she decided the comfort of the treasurer looked better. Yee currently is Arizona's chief banking and investment officer. Whomever wins will oversee the cash management of Arizona's $63.28 billion state budget and payments to agencies, local governments and schools.

SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION

Kathy Hoffman…D

Tom Horne…R

Kathy Hoffman has been in repub sights for the past several years because she is standing up to the knuckleheads that advocate censorship, restricting books, abolishing gay clubs and many more odious proposals.

Tom Horne is a former legislator and supe of instruction. It was a surprise that he easily won the repub primary. Although nothing recent he has some black marks for 6 speeding tickets-one in a school zone, accused and exonerated for collaborating with a group that supported him, and in 2003 the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charging that he had "willfully aided and abetted" his firm in violating securities laws by submitting false balance sheets and misrepresenting his firm's assets. He was eventually barred for life from associating with brokers, dealers, investment advisers, and investment companies. Not a person for Supe of Instruction.

CORPORATION COMMISSIONER (vote for 2)

All are

Sandra Kennedy….D

LaurenKuby….D

Kevin Thompson…R

Nick Meyers

Although CC's don't get a lot of press, they are among the key people that determine the future of energy. The repubs are for 'removing barriers' to energy companies as well a host of 'free' market bromides. Vote the dems

STATE SENATOR LD 21

Rosanna Gabaldon….D

Jim Cleveland….R

STATE REPRESENTATIVE LD 21 (vote for 2)

Consuelo Hernandez….D

Stephanie Stahl Hamilton…D

Damien Kennedy….R

Deborah McEwen….R

The daffiness trickles down to the county level. Cochise County Republican party chairman, Robert Montgomery, imperiously declared himself an elector to the electoral college, along with ten others, including Kelli Ward, the chair of the Arizona Republican Party, who by the way, took the 5th about her activities on Jan 6. (They are all so proud of what they did until they are called on it.) They all signed a phony document with a counterfeit State seal declaring that they were the official electoral voters from the State of Arizona. That was a lie and they even publicly said it was a lie. And the Justice Department said it was a lie. As a result there may be legal action against him and the other self proclaimed ‘electors’.

These are just a few of the many egregious examples of the kind of people that are crusading for office. It is clear that Arizona Republican party candidates are chained to the Trump Rump.

PROPOSITIONS

These summaries are from the Arizona Agenda, the best source for what is going on in politics in the State. Go here to read more and/or make a contribution. https://arizonaagenda.substack.com

For more detailed discussion go here: https://bit.ly/CEBV22BallotGuide

............

Arizona voters will face a lengthy ballot this November, with 10 statewide ballot questions (not including the ones Bisbee will have).

You’ll weigh in on tuition costs for undocumented Arizonans, medical debt curtailment, election ID laws, the role of dark money in politics and the future ballot measures themselves.

Only two of the ballot measures came from the citizens gathering signatures to refer an idea. The others were referred to the ballot by Repugnican state lawmakers. When in doubt, look at who is supporting or opposing the measure to see if they align with your proclivities. Of particular interest are two citizen initatives-meaning they had to go out and get the signatures to get it on the ballot. As opposed to the legislature that can declare by diktat that a proposal can go on the ballot. vote YES, prop 209 stops predatory debt collection and makes it more difficult for creditors to seize assets. And Prop 211 seeks to expose dark or hidden money given to candidates. The clear light of day is the best disinfectant. ............. PROP 128: Voter protection act; court determinations

Summary: Prop 128 is a constitutional amendment that would allow lawmakers to bypass the Voter Protection Act to amend or repeal any ballot measure with any illegal or unconstitutional language. (Currently, the Voter Protection Act bars lawmakers from repealing voter-approved laws, or from amending them, unless lawmakers can muster a three-fourths majority in both chambers and the changes “further the intent” of the voter-approved law.)

Argument for it: The VPA prevents lawmakers from changing voter-approved laws — even when they have unintended consequences or violate the state or U.S. constitutions. It’s not allowing lawmakers to reject the will of the people, but rather, it asks voters let la repeal unconstitutional laws.

Who’s backing it: Arizona Free Enterprise Club, Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Center for Arizona Policy, Home Builders Association of Central Arizona

Argument against it: One single sentence or word in an initiative might be found unconstitutional, and the courts currently have a way to deal with that — they nullify just the unconstitutional part and leave the rest. But if Prop 128 passes, lawmakers could then throw out the entire law, even though most of it is perfectly constitutional, which would shift power from the voters to the Legislature.

Who’s opposing it: League of Women Voters of Arizona, One Arizona, Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA), Save our Schools Arizona, Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter

PROP 129: Initiatives; single subject; title

Summary: Prop 129 would limit initiatives to a single subject and require each provision be represented in the title. While lawmakers are barred from loading multiple subjects into a single bill, citizens writing initiatives are not, the Arizona Supreme Court has ruled.

Arguments for it: Prop 129 would allow voters to support individual policies that they like, and oppose ideas they don’t like — rather than having to vote yes or no on several ideas at once. If single-subject the rule is good enough for lawmakers, it’s good enough for initiatives.

Who’s backing it: Arizona Free Enterprise Club, Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Center for Arizona Policy Action Arguments against it: It would eliminate initiative backers’ ability to combine forces for good-governance initiatives that touch on several aspects of the law. It would give the courts yet another technicality to use to ignore the will of the people. And the same rules shouldn’t apply to initiatives as lawmakers because passing a bill is a lawmaker’s job, but it costs citizens a lot of time and money to pass their own laws via initiative.

Who’s opposing it: Arizona Education Association, One Arizona, League of Women Voters of Arizona

PROP 130: Constitutional property tax exemptions

Summary: Prop 130 would amend the state Constitution to allow lawmakers to provide a property tax cut for veterans with disabilities. The Arizona Constitution already offers property tax breaks for certain groups, including widows and veterans. But the veterans portion was stuck down in a 1980s court case. Prop 130 would take all that language out of the state Constitution and expressly allow lawmakers to offer tax breaks to those groups via legislation. The actual tax cut would be provided in a companion bill, SB1095 that only goes into effect if Prop 130 passes. It was brought up by county assessors and had bipartisan support at the Capitol.

Who’s backing it: County assessors, Arizona Tax Research Association (ATRA), Ryan Boyd

Who’s opposing it: No organized opposition.

PROP 131: Lieutenant governor; joint ticket

Summary: Prop 131 would amend the state Constitution to create the position of lieutenant governor. Candidates would run as a team with gubernatorial candidates, like the vice president. If the governor resigned or died, the lieutenant governor would ascend to the Governor’s Office — instead of the secretary of state, who can be from a different party than the governor.² The lieutenant governor would be the director of the Department of Administration, per a companion bill, SB1255. The idea earned bipartisan support at the Capitol.

Arguments for it: Arizona has a long history of governors resigning, being impeached or otherwise leaving office during their term, and say the change would promote continuity of governance. Arizona is one of only a handful of states that doesn’t have a lieutenant governor. And overseeing the Department of Administration is a better training ground for the governor’s job of running state government than the Secretary of State’ Office.

Who’s backing it: League of Women Voters of Arizona; Arizona Republican Party

Arguments against it: Voters rejected a similar measure in 2010, though that plan would not have allowed the governor to pick their lieutenant, and they instead would have run separately rather than on a ticket.

Who’s opposing it: No organized opposition

PROP 132: Initiatives; supermajority vote; requirement

Summary: Prop 132 would amend the state Constitution to require a 60% vote to increase taxes at the ballot.

Arguments for it: Proponents argue it protects taxpayers from runaway spending by requiring the same kind of supermajority vote at the ballot as lawmakers need at the Capitol to raise taxes, and that the higher threshold will make it harder for out-of-state special interests to raise taxes on Arizona citizens.

Who’s for it: Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, The Goldwater Institute, Gov. Doug Ducey, Arizona Tax Research Association (ATRA)

Arguments against it: Lawmakers already need a two-thirds majority vote to pass any increases on taxes or to roll back tax credits and exemptions, and that supermajority requirement has hindered lawmakers’ ability to pass even common-sense tax increases. The same rule isn’t applied to tax cuts. They note the original bill highlights supporters' real intent, as it would have applied that supermajority requirement to all initiatives.

Who’s against it: League of Women Voters of Arizona, Arizona Center for Economic Progress, Arizona Education Association

PROP 209: Predatory Debt Collection Protection Act (citizens initiative)

Summary: The measure makes multiple changes to state statutes on wage garnishment debt collection. It limits the interest rate on medical debt to 3%. It would protect more equity in homes, vehicles, household goods and bank accounts from being taken by creditors. It also limits the amount that can be garnished from your wages to pay off debts.

Arguments for it: Medical debt, in particular, causes many Arizonans to fall into bankruptcy. The standards for wage garnishment and asset collection are outdated. People shouldn’t lose their homes or vehicles because of predatory debt.

Who’s backing it: Healthcare Rising Arizona (which receives support from the SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West), Arizona Public Health Association, Arizona Students’ Association, Phoenix Workers Alliance, Neighbors Forward AZ, Democrats of Casa Grande

Arguments against it: The measure is supported by out-of-state special interests. It would have far-reaching effects and could cause creditors to charge more to make up for lost costs. It would be bad for business.

Who’s opposing it: Goldwater Institute, Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Arizona Free Enterprise Club, Tucson Metro Chamber, Greater Phoenix Chamber, Arizona Bankers Association

PROP 211: Voters’ Right to Know Act (citizens initiative)

Summary: Prop 211 would change state law to require political groups and people spending more than $50,000 to influence the outcome of an election to disclose the original donor of contributions over $5,000. It would also require real-time reporting of significant campaign spending, and allow the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission to enforce the provisions of Prop 211. Allows civil penalties for violations.

Arguments for it: “Dark money” is a corrupting influence on our democratic system and Arizona voters deserve to know who is funding political campaigns. Prop 211 will bring transparency and accountability to campaign messaging because voters will know who is paying for those ads. And it’ll stop regulated utility companies like Arizona Public Service (APS) from secretly funding the campaigns of their own regulators, as has happened in past elections.

Who’s backing it: League of Women Voters of Arizona, former Phoenix mayors Paul Johnson and Terry Goddard Arguments Against It: Disclosing the names of political donors will open them up to threats and harassment from opponents.

Who’s opposing it: Arizona Free Enterprise Club, Center for Arizona Policy Action

PROP 308: Tuition; post-secondary education

Summary: Prop 308 would change state law to allow all Arizona students, regardless of immigration status, to be eligible for financial aid and in-state tuition at Arizona universities and community colleges. Students must have graduated from an Arizona high school and been enrolled for two years. The measure earned bipartisan support at the Capitol. It would ask voters to repeal Prop 300 from 2006, which passed overwhelmingly at the time and barred non-citizens from receiving in-state tuition.

Arguments for it: Arizona students should be able to attend Arizona universities, regardless of immigration status. Undocumented students and Dreamers are a vital part of our economy. It’s good for business and it's the right thing to do.

Who’s backing it: Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Southern Arizona Leadership Council, Arizona Education Association, Aliento Education Fund, Valley Interfaith Council, Stand for Children, Local First Arizona

Arguments against it: It offers in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants.

Who’s opposing it: Former Senate President Russell Pearce, the Arizona Republican Party, RidersUSA

PROP 309: Voter identification; affidavit; procedure

Summary: Prop 309 would change state statutes to require voters who vote in person to show a photo ID, instead of multiple pieces of certain mail, like bank statements. For voters without a photo ID, the state would issue a free non-operating license for voting purposes. If receive a ballot by mail, you would be required to write your birthdate, ID number and signature on a “concealed early ballot affidavit” before mailing it back or dropping it off at a polling place.

Arguments for it: Voter ID will restore trust to elections and make it harder to cheat. Showing an ID is a normal part of daily life for all manner of other activities.

Who’s backing it: Heritage Action for America, Arizonans for Voter ID, Arizona Free Enterprise Club, Arizona Republican Party, Goldwater Institute, Arizona Women of Action, Election Transparency Initiative, America First Policy Institute

Who’s opposing it: Prescott Indivisible, League of Women Voters of Arizona, One Arizona, Defend Arizona Rights, Opportunity Arizona, Arizona Education Association, Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA), Chispa Arizona, Our Voice Our Vote Arizona, Mi Familia Vota

PROP 310: Fire districts; funding; sales tax increase

Summary: Prop 310 would increase sales taxes by a tenth of a penny on the dollar to fund rural fire districts.

Arguments for it: Fire districts serve 1.5 million Arizonans and are responsible for not only fighting fires, but providing emergency medical services in car crashes along major parts of Arizona’s highway system. Fire districts are strapped for manpower, equipment and resources, and 911 calls often take upwards of 30 minutes for a response.

Who’s backing it: Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona, Arizona Fire Chiefs Association, rural fire districts

Arguments against it: It’s a 20-year tax increase on all Arizonans to bail out rural fire districts, which already have access to a local tax base.

Who’s opposing it: Arizona Free Enterprise Club, Arizona Republican Party

CHEAT SHEET

These are completely biased election choices that are a blatant attempt to influence your vote.

Courtesy of the Bisbee Wire www.bisbeewire.com To be eligible to vote, make sure you’re registered by October 11th. You can check your voter registration at vote.org or through the portal at https://servicearizona.com/VoterRegistration. It’s also worth confirming your registration if you haven’t voted in a while - if your status has been classified as inactive, you may have to register again. You will be getting different ballots depending on which CD or LD you live. In Bisbee, only those in Old Bisbee and Saginaw sections will be voting on the Douglas AMA. To vote in person if you live in Bisbee, go to the County board of supervisors building at 1415 Melody Lane. All other vote centers are here: https://www.cochise.az.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4575/Vote-Center-Locations-PDF If you live in Bisbee or Douglas you are in… CD7 (Congressional District/Federal) BISBEE/douglas If you live in anywhere else in Cochise County you are in… CD 6 (Congressional District/Federal) rest of Cochise County LD21 (Legislative District/State) BISBEE LD19 (Legislative District/State) rest of Cochise County Oct 11: deadline to register to vote Oct 12: early ballots mailed out Oct 28: last day to request a ballot by mail Nov 1: mail your ballot back by Nov 4: last day to vote early in person Nov 8: election day where the magic happens County Recorder David Stevens 1415 Melody Lane, Bldng. B Bisbee, AZ 85603 520-432-8350 recorder@cochise.az.gov County Election Director Lisa Marra 1415 Melody Lane, Bldng. E Bisbee, AZ 85603 520-432-8975 lmarra@cochise.az.gov ADDITIONAL RESOURSES For more in-depth info go here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1p8hhclUupaELvSFekvZyC8ee-o-0HsCUwFG6JcW3lbU/edit A VOTERS GUIDE TO HOW SCHOOLS ARE FUNDED https://azluminaria.org/2022/09/15/education-funding-101-an-arizona-voters-guide/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email CANDIDATES AND PROPOSITIONS US Senator Mark Kelly US Representative CD 7 Raul Grijalva (CD 6 US Representative) Kirsten Engel Governor Katie Hobbs State Senator LD21 Rosanna Gabaldon LD19 State Senator Sandra Clark Write in a second somebody State Representative LD21 (vote for two) Consuelo Hernandez Stephanie Stahl Hamilton Secretary of State Adrian Fontes Attorney General Kris Mayes State Treasurer Martin Quezada Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman State Mine Inspector Have some fun, write in your favorite character Corporation Commissioner (choose two) Sandra Kennedy, Lauren Kuby Clerk of Superior Court Amy Hunley or write in a choicer Justice of the Peace Prec. 1 Janus Poppe Retain all Supreme Court Justice except William Montgomery Vote NO Judge of Superior Court Div. 1 Joel Larson Judge of Superior Courts Div 2, 3 John Keliher David Thorn Proposition 128 NO Proposition 129 NO Proposition 130 NO Proposition 131 NO Proposition 132 NO Proposition 209 YES Proposition 211 YES Proposition 308 YES Proposition 309 NO Proposition 310 YES Proposition 421 YES (This will allow a continuation of a 1 cent sales tax with the revenue generated going to street repair and payment of PSPRS) Proposition 422 YES (Douglas AMA/Old Bisbee & Saginaw only) Budget Override Continuation YES Bisbee Unified School District (This will allow the district to continue to fund student programs, and offer competitive employee benefits)