FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 14, 2020
PHOENIX, State Capitol – Rep. Raquel Terán released the following statement today in response to President Trump's admission that he is blocking funding for the United States Post Office in order to slow down mail-in voting, which will impact voters across the state who overwhelmingly return their ballots by mail.
“Make no mistake, President Trump’s sabotaging of the United States Post Office -- and the across-the-board Republican silence about it -- is all about undermining the successful ballot-by-mail process that Arizona has had in place for decades.
Governor Ducey’s answer to reporters asking about this issue this week completely missed the point. Yes, Arizona does have one of the best and most secure ballot-by-mail systems in the country. That doesn’t protect it from irreparable harm by President Trump dismantling the Post Office, potentially disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of voters in our state.
I strongly support Secretary of State Katie Hobbs’ call for an Attorney General investigation of Trump’s actions in Arizona, where it is against the law to ‘knowingly delay the delivery of a ballot.’
The vast majority of Arizona voters – Republicans, Democrats and independents -- vote early. We must stand together against this attack on our sacred right to vote, and I encourage our county recorders and the Secretary of State's office to continue their efforts on voter education to help make sure all eligible votes are counted and that voters do not have to risk their health and safety in order to participate in our democracy. In this unprecedented time of pandemic, all voters must have confidence that their mailed-in ballot will be properly and safely delivered to our county recorders. They shouldn't have to worry about whether the Post Office will be hamstrung by officials in Washington who don't understand how well Arizona runs its ballot-by-mail programs.”
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