Why the cosmic primary screw-up in Arizona?
Yes, it affected the Democratic primary vote, but that's not why Arizona screwed up its election. Pretty much everything in Arizona is controlled by Republicans. If there was a reason for the state to mess up a primary election deliberately, it's targeting the Republicans, not the Democrats. The Republican primary is the one that was the focus, if anything was, of the messing around with voter registrations. Also, disenfranchising Democrats and minority voters is a high priority in that state, but not to control primaries. That effort targets general elections, to protect Republicans by having fewer Democratic voters.
Would a better system have changed the percentages in the Democratic races? That's impossible to say, really, but I doubt it would have resulted in any major shift in the percentages for our two candidates. That's my take, and I could be wrong.
Will it be redone? Almost certainly not. The results, in the end, will stand as they are. Any lawsuits over the handling of the election would not be decided until long after the November election. The same applies to any FEC investigation. That won't happen before the November election, and certainly not before our nominating convention.
Will Whitehouse.gov petitions help? Absolutely not. Elections are run by state officials, not the federal government. The White House has no input into how they are done, no matter how screwed up they were.
Does it all matter? It does, but not in this year's Democratic presidential nomination race. Arizona doesn't have a huge delegation to send to the Democratic Convention, so any change in the results would not materially affect the overall delegate count.
What can we do about Arizona elections? Precious little. Unless you are an Arizona resident, there's really nothing you can do to change the political landscape there. If you are an Arizona resident, you can work to elect more Democrats in that state and hope they'll be able to fix the corruption and manipulation that's going on. I hope Arizona Democrats do exactly that. It's the only way things will change.
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Last edited Wed Mar 23, 2016, 12:09 PM - Edit history (1)
People who feel the need to get angry should make nasty posts about her. The Screwup in Arizona is her fault.
In a state full of success stories, newly-elected Secretary of State Michele Reagan has risen to Arizona's second highest elective office. Through a combination of hard work, commitment to public service and the pioneer spirit; she exemplifies what it means to be an Arizonan.
Moving from the south suburbs of Chicago in 1991, Secretary Reagan adopted Arizona as her second home and opened FASTSIGNS in Phoenix, learning quickly about the issues that face the state's businesses each day. During this time, she gained the respect of customers and local business which led to leadership positions within civic and professional groups. Her steadfast advocacy for small business, community involvement, fiscal conservatism and a desire to do more became the catalyst to run for public office.
Secretary Reagan's illustrious career in public service has spanned more than a decade in both houses of the legislature. Recognized as a tireless champion of small businesses, Ms. Reagan was named Chair of the Commerce Committee in the House, and later, Chair of the Economic Development and Jobs Creation Committee in the Senate.
During her candidacies for office, Secretary Reagan developed a passion for fair, accurate and efficient elections. This passion contributed to the formation of the first Senate Elections Committee, of which she was Chair. During her tenure, she was widely praised for her work to make needed reforms to the state's system of elections, and was encouraged by community advocates, state and local leaders, and the last four Secretaries to run for the state's Chief Election Officer. Ms. Reagan was elected to serve as Arizona's 20th Secretary of State in 2014.
The take away from the shenanigans of the Republicans in Arizona is that we have all learned that calculated suppression of minority and poor voters is not just for the South anymore. No wonder the States out West are so red! Arizona, like Nevada has a massive population of those voters. The Republicans in charge are doing everything they can to make sure they don't have a voice. This is the State that has a "tent city". They are a disgrace.
I also have an idea for the General Election. Would doing a Dem. registration and provisional ballot voting drive in the poor and minority areas make a discernerable difference in November? Hoping so much to give Dem. voters in Arizona a voice!
