DNC intervenes in GOP effort to nullify Arizona election manual
The Democratic National Committee is looking to jump into a pair of Arizona election lawsuits Tuesday morning, another salvo in the sprawling legal battle over the country’s election procedures ahead of November.
The DNC and Arizona Democratic Party, with assistance from the Biden campaign, filed motions to intervene in two lawsuits filed in state court from GOP and third party groups this month, according to filings first shared with POLITICO. The lawsuits target the state’s Election Procedure Manual — which is designed to guide Arizona election officials in conducting and certifying elections. Republicans have challenged the manual several times, with RNC chair Ronna McDaniel arguing earlier this month that the document is “designed to undermine election integrity.”
Tuesday’s filing marks the latest effort from the DNC and Biden campaign to target perceived attempts to restrict voting with legal action in 2024, a key facet of the campaign’s aggressive strategy this cycle. The campaign’s legal team has overseen these moves, as President Joe Biden continues to push a message around voting rights and democracy.
“MAGA Republicans are attempting to meddle with elections for one simple reason: they know when more eligible voters cast their ballot, Republicans lose,” said Biden campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodríguez in a statement. “Making it more difficult for Arizonans to vote by stripping away protections that keep elections safe and fair is part of their strategy — and their latest attempt to undermine American democracy. President Biden and Vice President Harris won’t stand for it and will fight these shameful efforts by MAGA Republicans in Arizona and wherever else they crop up.”
The move takes the Democratic effort to battleground Arizona, a state Biden flipped and won by less than half a percentage point to Donald Trump in 2020. During the midterms, concerns about voter intimidation in the state followed reports that some people watching ballot boxes were armed or wearing ballistic vests.
The lawsuits filed earlier this month by the RNC and conservative groups attempt to nullify or alter the state election manual and names Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat, in his professional capacity. The state’s chief election official is required to update the manual every two years.
The judges in both cases must approve the Democrats’ requests to intervene, a fairly routine legal filing.
In an effort to invalidate the entire document, the groups argue that Fontes did not provide enough time for public comment on the proposed changes, which must be approved by the attorney general and governor, both of whom are also Democrats. They also zeroed in on specific provisions in the manual, including a rule which Republicans argue limits the public’s access to records containing a voter’s signature. And they targeted a provision that allows federal-only voters who haven’t proven their citizenship to vote in presidential elections.
The second GOP-led lawsuit attacks the manual’s instructions for operating ballot drop-off locations and preventing voter intimidation. The document notes that election officials may restrict activities that interfere with access and provides examples of intimidation or harassment.
The Democratic Party has also waded into the legal fray in other states this cycle. The DNC challenged a North Carolina election law moments after it went into effect this fall, and in December, the party sued New Hampshire officials over a Republican-backed election law they claim would have a chilling effect on the party’s base.
“Democrats are fighting back with every tool at our disposal to ensure that every eligible voter across Arizona has an opportunity to make their voice heard at the ballot box, and participate in free and fair elections,” DNC chair Jaime Harrison said in a statement.