As sign-waving protestors clamored behind yellow emergency tape on the House lawn, Secretary of State Jan Brewer announced on Jan. 5 that she will be seeking re-election.
“The state of Arizona is leading the country regarding election reform and I’m proud of that and I ask Arizonans to support me,” she said, with supporters gathered behind her.
Many improvements have been made to the state’s voting system, including the move away from chad-producing punch card ballots to optical scanning devices, better protection for ballots cast and greater voting access for military personnel on duty, Mrs. Brewer said.
Mrs. Brewer, a Republican, also said that she has filed a list of 3,200 voter signatures and $5 contributions to qualify for public funding of her campaign. Under state law, 2,500 of these contributions are necessary.
The re-election announcement was briefly delayed by protestors who were told by police to remain behind a yellow emergency tape after the protesters had gathered directly behind the podium where Mrs. Brewer would speak. They continued with chants of “voter fraud” throughout the secretary’s announcement.
Opponents of Mrs. Brewer were outnumbered by supporters who included Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne, Sen. Linda Gray, R-10, and House Speaker Jim Weiers, R-10.
Mr. Weiers said, “Under Secretary Brewer’s administration, Arizona now has a new voter fraud hotline and a centralized, statewide voter registration database. Combined with the elimination of the antiquated punch card voting devices, we are seeing a more accurate and efficient system, thanks to Secretary Brewer.”