Arizona GOP Bill Would Allow State Legislature To Throw Out Election Results

A new Arizona bill proposal introduced by state Rep. John Fillmore (R) would make it possible for legislators to throw out election results.

The bill would change the structure of voting in the state, getting rid of most early and absentee voting while also requiring voters to vote from their home precinct. Additionally, the bill would allow the state legislature to review the election process and “accept or reject the election results.”

“The bill would create a system where losers can set aside the will of the people,” said Alex Gulotta, who runs a voting rights group called All Voting is Local. “This is an all-out assault on the freedom to vote.”

Filmore dubbed the proposal as the “1958 bill,” referencing the procedures they used then.

“In-person, no electronics, on paper, count the ballots that day,” he told CNN.

Over a dozen Arizona Republicans have backed the proposal.

Although this drastic measure comes after President Joe Biden was the first Democratic candidate to win Arizona since President Bill Clinton, Fillmore said his proposal has nothing to do with that.

“I don’t care what the press says. I don’t trust ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox or anybody out there. Everybody’s lying to me and I feel like I have a couple hundred ex-wives hanging around me,” Fillmore said. “This is not a President Biden thing. This is not a the other red-headed guy thing. We need to get back to 1958-style voting.”

This may be the most expansive piece of legislation that would change voting rights, but it is not the first. The main proposals have centered around getting rid of absentee voting, which is how the majority of Arizona voters cast their votes.