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No Relief from the Ballot-Petition Signature Requirements for Arizona Initiatives During a Pandemic

Robert Timothy Reagan
October 6, 2023

Arizonans for Fair Elections v. Hobbs (Dominic W. Lanza, D. Ariz. 2:20-cv-658)
A district judge declined or order Arizona to accept electronic signatures to get initiatives on the November ballot during social distancing made necessary by a global infectious pandemic. The judge was not confident that the proposed remedy would not conflict with Arizona’s constitution, which the plaintiffs had not challenged. Moreover, the judge was not convinced that the pandemic would persist or that the plaintiffs could not have qualified their initiatives for the ballot had they collected the signatures required before the pandemic.
Subject: Ballot measures. Topics: Ballot measure; getting on the ballot; Covid-19; intervention; matters for state courts; laches.

One of many Case Studies in Emergency Election Litigation.