Republicans Try Again to Disband Mail-in Voting in Arizona
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, a lawsuit was filed by Republicans challenging Arizona’s no-excuse mail-in voting system that allows any voter to cast a mail-in ballot. The plaintiffs, the Arizona Republican Party and its chairwoman, argue that the Arizona Constitution requires in-person voting on specific days and, because mail-in voting does not follow these rules, it is unconstitutional. The lawsuit asks the state trial court to strike down Arizona’s no-excuse mail-in voting system, which has been extremely popular since it was instituted in 1991, and only allow in-person voting in future elections.
This is state Republicans’ second attempt to disband mail-in voting in Arizona. They first went directly to the Arizona Supreme Court, attempting to bypass the state trial court and avoid any lengthy appeals process raising nearly identical claims, but the court declined to hear the case. Republicans have continuously attacked voting by mail since the 2020 election cycle, despite its popularity in Arizona.