Dept. of Justice: Investigate Arizona voter suppression

What happened in Arizona's election on Tuesday is unacceptable. Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton has asked for the DOJ to investigate this voter supression. Now it's our turn to keep up the pressure.

Dear MoveOn member,

I'm Laura Packard, a fellow MoveOn member, and I started a petition to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, which says:

In Maricopa County, Arizona, the number of polling places was reduced from 200 during the 2012 primary election to just 60 for 2016. Some predominantly Latino areas only got one or no polling places at all. People had to wait in 5+ hour lines to vote. Please investigate and put a stop to the voter suppression before the general election.

During this past Tuesday's primary election in Maricopa County, Arizona, the number of polling places was reduced from 200 during the 2012 primary election to just 60 for 2016.¹ Officials were warned that this would mean long lines and discourage people from voting. But they did it anyway.

Some predominantly Latino areas only got one polling place. Others got none at all. County officials allocated one polling place for every 108,000 residents on average in Phoenix, a minority-majority city—but Anglo communities had far more polling sites per resident. The result was traffic jams, and people had to wait in 5-hour lines to vote.^2,3

Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell, in charge of overseeing the election, told reporters she was sorry people were upset but didn't offer solutions.

The Justice Department can put a stop to this; they are the best hope for upholding the rights of all Arizona voters. Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton has asked for the DOJ to investigate. Now it's our turn to keep up the pressure.

Click here to add your name to this petition, and then pass it along to your friends.

Thanks!

—Laura Packard

Sources:

1. "Maricopa County election officials writing off voters? You bet," Arizona Republic, March 23, 2016
http://act.moveon.org/go/2331?t=4&akid=163466.10220574.JnUgQ6

2. "Our View: A five-hour wait to vote in Arizona primary? That's shameful," Arizona Republic, March 23, 2016
http://act.moveon.org/go/2330?t=6&akid=163466.10220574.JnUgQ6

3. "Phoenix mayor asks Justice Department to investigate Arizona voting delays," CNN News, March 24, 2016
http://act.moveon.org/go/2367?t=8&akid=163466.10220574.JnUgQ6

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