PHOENIX (Legal Newsline) - Arizonans for Fair Elections and Arizonans Fed Up with Failing Healthcare questioned whether a clause implemented amid COVID-19, concerning methods for gathering signatures for certain petitions, is constitutional.
They sued in the District of Arizona on April 2, naming the Secretary of State, Katie Hobbs, County Recorders and all of the Arizona County officials in their official capacities in the lawsuit.
The dispute is over the Title 19, Chapter 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, which calls for a circulator to be present when signatures are gathered. The plaintiffs say it “[denies] the committees supporting initiatives and voters who would like to sign petitions in support of these initiatives access to the state’s secure online signature gathering system…”
The plaintiffs allege the policy doesn’t align with the constitution because it limits the ability to gather signatures for petitions. They want injunctive relief that would bar the defendants from conduct that could ultimately cause harm.