Election officials in 3 counties sued for disqualifying names on petitions

80 referendum signatures wrongly tossed, suit says

A group that wants voters to overturn wide-ranging changes to Arizona election law is suing election officials, arguing that 80 signatures on referendum petitions were wrongly disqualified.

The lawsuit from the Protect Your Right To Vote Committee is asking the Maricopa County Superior Court to reinstate the 80 signatures, gathered from voters in Cochise, Pima and Pinal counties.

The signatures were tossed when elections officials in those counties were processing the petitions the committee submitted last month. The elections officials found 281 of the people signing the petitions either were not registered to vote, listed a wrong or incomplete address, or did not provide a date when they signed the referendum petition.

But 80 of those signatures are valid and can be verified with records, the committee said in its suit.

Robbie Sherwood, a spokesman for the committee, said the number of disputed signatures is small, but because the counties are checking only a 5 percent sample of total signatures, they have the potential to affect 1,600 signatures.

The committee has five days after each county finishes its verification to contest the findings. The three counties cited in the lawsuit completed their work this week, starting the five-day countdown.

Meanwhile, processing continues in the state’s 12 other counties.

The lawsuit names Secretary of State Ken Bennett and the county recorders in the three counties.