Experts warn of extremist push to expand sheriffs’ role in elections
Election and domestic extremism experts warn that so-called “constitutional sheriff” groups are compounding problems created by disinformation campaigns and undermining public confidence in elections and law enforcement, setting the stage for situations that can lead to voter intimidation and ultimately subvert free and fair elections.
Arizona ‘ground zero’ for extremist, anti-government sheriff movement
More than half of Arizona’s county sheriffs are at least partially aligned with a growing movement of so-called “constitutional sheriffs,” with an ideology that threatens to radicalize law enforcement by indoctrinating them with false legal theories about a sheriff’s authority over state and federal government, and a duty to nullify laws they interpret as unconstitutional.…
How AZCIR identified Arizona’s ‘constitutional sheriffs’
Whether or not sheriffs adopt the core ideologies of the movement is more telling when it comes to how they approach their jobs—including how they interact with constituents and other government agencies—than whether they use the “constitutional sheriff” moniker.
State, county policies impact rejected ballot rates in November election
Election officials didn’t count 27,327 ballots cast by Arizona voters in the November election, rejecting more than twice the 10,457 votes that flipped the state for President-elect Joe Biden in what was the closest raw vote margin of any state in the nation. The uncounted votes, which are legally rejected by officials for reasons such…
History of rejected Arizona ballots creates further election uncertainty
Less than a month away from the November election, Arizona’s voter registration deadline has changed twice in two weeks, putting into question whether the latest update will reach voters in time, and leaving the possibility that large numbers of ballots could be rejected. Nearly 14,000 ballots in Arizona’s 2016 presidential election were rejected by county…
Arizona rejected ballots: How AZCIR crunched the numbers
AZCIR used federal and state data to identify trends in the state’s rejected ballot rates from past general elections to better understand how the information can inform voters leading into the 2020 presidential election.
Candidate claims support of dead voters in attempt to get public campaign funding
In early March, Democratic legislative candidate Larry Herrera filed 255 signatures to qualify for public campaign funding. Among them was a form signed on Feb. 3, 2018, by Bernadine Barbara Misiak. Except Misiak died in November 2016.
Arizona poised for hefty 2018 election spending
There were no statewide or legislative elections in 2017, but the year marked the most prolific campaign fundraising year since the state began keeping the records in an electronic database, setting up the 2018 election for massive political spending.
Ducey campaign double reports $1.1 million in contributions
Campaign finance reports summarizing the money raised and spent by Arizona political committees during 2017 show more than $1 million in contributions that have been double-reported because of how money raised by Gov. Doug Ducey’s joint fundraising committee has been reported.
Builders bankroll school bond campaigns, dominate construction contracts
A small group of companies dominate the K-12 design and construction sector. The same companies also largely finance the campaigns aimed at persuading the public to approve bond and override proposals to fund the projects, even funding a “dark money” group to conceal the support.
Arizona legislative voting analysis
Every year, Arizona’s 30 Senators and 60 House members vote hundreds of times. The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting analyzed every floor vote from the 2017 legislative session to determine levels of agreement among lawmakers in each chamber.
Secretary of State vows to maintain voter notification records
Every day, the thousands of voting jurisdictions in the U.S. share information about current voter registrations to guard against people being registered in multiple places. Until earlier this year, The Arizona Secretary of State was not keeping copies of those voter registration notifications.
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