Cochise County certifies. Officials in Cochise County finally certified their election results following an order from a Superior Court judge. The two Republicans on the Cochise County Board of Supervisors had refused to certify the results by the legal deadline, as part of the GOP’s ongoing attempt to spread conspiracy theories about our elections. Ironically, Cochise County voted overwhelmingly Republican, and by refusing to certify the county’s results, they would have disenfranchised majority Republican voters, potentially throwing two major races to Democrats. But democracy prevailed, preventing the GOP from cutting off their nose to spite their face. These county supervisors, the same two that tried to push an illegal hand count, are now being investigated for criminal offenses for violating state election laws.
Frivolous election lawsuits tossed. A federal judge has issued sanctions against the attorneys of Kari Lake and Mark Finchem for their “baseless” lawsuits against voting machines. Unable to accept their losses, Lake and Finchem had both been attempting to sue their way into office, spreading false information about our elections process and refusing to concede their races.
Ducey’s illegal border wall. Doug Ducey is continuing with construction of his makeshift shipping container wall on the Southern Arizona border, despite warnings that current placement on federal land is illegal. Last week, the Coronado National Forest issued a public safety warning, citing “safety hazards” and “unauthorized armed security personnel” as a result of Ducey’s project, affecting local residents. Environmental advocates are also concerned that the unlawful construction will be harmful to wildlife migration patterns. But not only is Ducey’s political stunt ridiculous and dangerous – it’s expensive, and is now costing taxpayers upwards of $100 million.
Respect for Marriage Act passed! The legislation, which will provide legal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages, is headed to President Biden’s desk. Here’s what the bill does, and doesn’t do. This is a step in the right direction, but we need more in the face of constant attacks on the LGBTQ+ community. What we don’t need however, is to be chided by Sen. Sinema for being outraged over the attacks we are facing by the GOP.
Out of state kooks. Election denier candidates like Kari Lake have attracted crowds of conspiracy theorists from out-of-state, who for some reason think they have the right to call for a “revote” of our election.
Tell Doug Ducey, raise the school spending limit! In 2022, the Arizona State Legislature passed a budget to invest an additional $1 billion into K-12 education. But districts can’t spend these dollars until the legislature lifts the arbitrary and archaic school spending limit. Tell Ducey to call a special session to raise the school spending limit! Arizona schools desperately need the resources already allocated to them!