Anti-democracy bill reaches governor's desk, more Starbucks workers unionize, and more from Arizona's Labor Movement

john,

Since the conclusion of the 2020 election, the Arizona legislature's majority party has been hard at work to undermine our democracy and perpetuate the “Big Lie.” As a result, state lawmakers have introduced, considered, and -–thankfully–- rejected dozens of dangerous, anti-democracy bills throughout this legislative session. Unfortunately, one of the most restrictive voting bills has made it to the governor’s desk and will have devastating consequences for working and retired Arizonans if it becomes law. I thought it important to keep our readers in the loop.

On Wednesday, the Arizona Senate passed HB2492, a bill that would retroactively require voters who registered before 2005 to provide proof of citizenship whether by birth or by naturalization in order to maintain voting eligibility. If signed into law, HB2492 will nearly cut our state’s electorate in half, as registrants will have a mere 30 days to provide either a birth certificate or a certificate of naturalization to the Secretary of State’s office before being removed from the voter rolls.

The disastrous implications of HB2492 cannot be understated. Although several states including Arizona already require voters to provide proof of citizenship upon registration, this retroactive requirement would be the first law of its kind. No doubt, this will set a dangerous precedent nationally and pose a significant threat to democracy in Arizona.

The solution is clear: In order to truly protect the integrity of our elections, we must take urgent action to prevent HB2492 from being codified. In the “Upcoming Events and Actions” section of this week’s issue of the Dispatch, we ask that you please join us in emailing Governor Ducey and demand that he vetoes HB2492 immediately. If you’d prefer to make a phone call, you can reach Governor Ducey’s office at (602) 542-4331 and press 4 to leave a message.

Thank you for standing with us in this fight.

In solidarity,

 

UPCOMING EVENTS & ACTIONS

 

NATIONAL NEWS

 

LOCAL NEWS

 

Graphics

 

Thank you for reading the Arizona Labor Dispatch! Can you help us grow our readership by sharing our sign-up form?

 

If you'd like to promote an event for your union in our weekly newsletter, fill out our submission form or email AZ AFL-CIO Communications & Operations Director Drake Ridge at [email protected]