Bill to cut permanent early-voting list fails

A lone Republican joined with Democrats in the state Senate on Tuesday to block a bill that would have removed voters from the permanent early voting list who do not vote early in four consecutive primary and general elections.

With Sen. Paul Boyer, R-Glendale, siding with Democrats, the Senate blocked the bill by a vote of 15-15.

In turn, the bill’s sponsor immediately moved to stop one of Boyer’s bills. In an unexpected and dramatic moment of parliamentary intrigue, the Senate voted 20-10 to recall his legislation expanding Arizona’s school voucher program, which it had passed the day before.

The episode highlighted for a second time on the Senate floor the tensions within a Republican caucus that has the slimmest of majorities after losing a seat in the last election, thinning its ranks to 16 members in a 30-member chamber.

Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita’s Senate Bill 1069 would have ended the permanent early voting list as it is known today, removing the word “permanent” from its name and labeling it simply the early voting list, or EVL.

Under the bill, county election officials would remove a voter from the list if the voter does not vote by early ballot in both the primary election and the general election for two consecutive elections.

Counties would have to notify voters first.

Ugenti-Rita has argued this merely would help ensure the list is accurate

and up to date.

Currently, voters are only removed from the list if their registration is canceled or moved to inactive status, a notice sent to their residence is returned undeliverable or when they ask to be removed.

Democrats have maintained that the measure would purge hundreds of thousands of voters from the permanent early voting list, confusing many who thought they were on it and ultimately diminishing turnout.

The PEVL, as it is known, has proven popular since legislators created it in 2007. About 3.2 million Arizona voters were on the permanent list as of Jan. 5.

Boyer did not explain why he voted against the measure, and there was no debate on the bill on the Senate floor.

After her bill’s defeat, Ugenti-Rita quickly moved to recall Boyer’s Senate Bill 1452, which the chamber had approved along party lines Monday and sent to the House of Representatives.

Ugenti-Rita’s move sent lawmakers scrambling as Republicans who supported the voucher expansion seemed unsure of whether to bring back the bill for another vote. And Ugenti-Rita did not explain why she wanted the bill to be reconsidered the day after she had voted for it.

Sen. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, said the move appeared to be retaliation.

“Sometimes I feel like I have returned back to high school,” she said.

Some Democrats, who had argued against Boyer’s bill, seemed to hesitate about whether to go along with UgentiRita before joining in.

Only 10 senators, all Republicans, voted against the motion.

With the bill already in the House, however, that chamber would have to vote on acceding to the Senate’s request to have the bill back.

It is unclear when, exactly, it might vote.

Boyer had angered members of his caucus by joining with Democrats to block a resolution last week holding the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in contempt amid an ongoing dispute over lawmakers’ insistence on conducting their own audit of the county’s election.