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Election bills face further problems in conference committee
Lawmakers attempted to push through a set of bogged-down election bills in a comprehensive 43-page amendment in conference committee Wednesday afternoon, but the committee was called off minutes after the amendment began circulating at the Capitol.
Opponents say higher contribution limits violate Clean Elections, Voter Protection Act
A provision in the 1998 ballot measure that created Arizona’s Clean Elections system may hold the key to whether the state’s new campaign contribution limits will go into effect for 2014.
New contribution limits could be game-changer for campaigns
Campaign cash may come pouring into some of Arizona’s top races next year thanks to a new law allowing candidates to raise far more money.
Critics say the bill will flood campaigns with more money and influence-buying, and that it may be the final nail in the coffin of Arizona’s voter-approved Clean Elections system.
Advocacy groups’ poll indicates most voters oppose early ballot bill
Nearly 60 percent of Arizona voters oppose a bill that could stop some voters from automatically receiving early mail-in ballots, according to a poll announced Monday by liberal advocacy groups ONE Arizona and Arizona Working Families.
Ballot access getting easier for candidates, harder for initiatives
Candidates for office in Arizona have never had an easier time getting on the ballot, but lawmakers are looking to raise the bar for citizen initiatives, referendums and recalls.
Despite changes to election reform bills, Democrats, Hispanics still opposed
Latino voters and Democratic lawmakers remain opposed to two controversial bills to reform Arizona’s early voting system despite efforts to add bipartisan amendments to each measure.
Predicting Brewer vetoes is difficult; reasons vary
Figuring out how to avoid Gov. Jan Brewer’s veto pen is a guessing game that leaves even some of the most seasoned veterans at the Capitol perplexed.
Many lawmakers and lobbyists say there are no hard and fast guidelines for avoiding a veto from a governor who vetoed 91 bills in her first four legislative sessions.
Mayo Clinic backs Brewer; Scottsdale Healthcare on the fence
One of two hospitals that held out support for Gov. Jan Brewer’s Medicaid expansion plan out of concerns the proposed hospital tax would cost more than they would get back is officially on board.
Obstacles hold up bills that seemed bound for success
Many notable bills that seemed on their way to success this session suddenly faltered — sometimes for personal reasons, sometimes for ideological reasons and sometimes because there just wasn’t enough time to smooth out the details.
Two early voting bills get uncertain new life
Two controversial early voting reform bills have been cleared for a vote in the House, but their future remains uncertain. The bills advocated by county elections officials had been going nowhere, held up in the House Government Committee.
Latino groups condemn 2 early-voting bills; plan legal action to stop them
Faith Mendoza is a 17-year-old honor student from Chandler who spent hundreds of hours through the 2012 election walking the streets, registering voters and then picking up early ballots from people who otherwise might not have voted.
By most accounts, she is a model citizen. But if SB1003 passes through the Legislature in its present form and is signed by the governor, continuing her volun[...]
No AZ law on ‘dark money’ coming this legislative session
For all of the controversy during the last election over the influence of so-called dark money in politics, the Arizona State Legislature is unlikely to produce any laws on the subject this session.
