North Pima News

The primary sponsor of sweeping voter integrity legislation, Sen. Kelly Townsend (R-Mesa), is blaming the bill’s shaky future on the absence from session of a key Republican vote, Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita (R-Scottsdale), who recently announced her candidacy for Secretary of State.

“We need every Republican vote and she has been absent without leave," Townsend told the North Pima News. "I’m super upset that she may have sunk the bill.”

Republicans hold a slim 16-14 margin in the Senate.

ABC15 reported that Ugenti-Rita sent out a series of tweets saying that she is upset with certain provisions in the state budget being finalized this week. The news station also reported that she held a “political event” Wednesday (Townsend said it was a fundraiser), but that legislative leaders have been unable to contact her.

Lawmakers traditionally try to complete the session by Memorial Day weekend

Back in April, Ugenti-Rita accused Townsend of throwing a “temper tantrum” for opposing Ugenti-Rita’s legislation that would stop certain voters from receiving ballots automatically. Townsend explained that her “no” vote was a message that the Legislature had to do more than approve one bill to secure future elections. Once she received assurances that the Legislature would move additional voter integrity legislation, she voted for the bill and Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, signed it into law.

“Now who’s throwing the temper tantrum?” Townsend said.

Among other reforms, Townsend’s bill, SB 1241, proposes that election observers be given a “reasonable view” of the election process, including a view of the connection and removal of any external devices from election tabulation equipment. Her legislation also tightens controls over the ballot duplication process, along with other changes.

An ongoing and much-maligned audit of Maricopa County election results is investigating possible security breaches of the voting, including a check on whether voting machines were connected to the internet, potentially allowing the unlawful release of election results. The audit, conducted by a firm with no election audit experience, is expected to be completed in June.

Townsend said that she still had some hopes that leadership could get all lawmakers back in session to complete the budget and her voter reform legislation.

“I give it maybe a 10% chance now,” she said of her bill.