Good morning, Rj! Happy Sunday!  

Anthony Kern wants to make it easier to steal your vote. The State Senator introduced a bill purportedly giving the Arizona State Legislature the power to determine who the state’s electoral college votes would go to, rather than Arizona voters. Even if passed, this wouldn’t have the force of law, but we know that doesn’t stop Republicans from lying to counties in an attempt to steal our votes. Kern was a key player in the criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election and was also present in the crowd at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. Republican lawmakers have also introduced other anti-voter bills that would end on-site early voting and county-wide voting centers, despite their convenience and popularity. The GOP’s fascist plan is alarmingly clear: make voting harder, and if that doesn’t work, overturn our votes entirely. 

Tom Horne’s disconnect. Tom Horne’s “hotline” has yielded over 30,000 prank calls and not a single real investigation. Despite Arizona’s historic educator shortages as a result of ranking near last in the country for educator pay and funding per pupil, Horne is spending thousands of dollars to fund a hotline that was designed to attack public school teachers. That’s in addition to the millions of dollars he’s spent to promote Arizona’s disastrous expanded ESA voucher program. Despite his job title, Horne clearly has no interest in improving Arizona public education or addressing the real challenges for K-12 students in our state. 

AZ lawmakers try to pass the Statewide Nondiscrimination Act. Did you know that LGBTQ+ Arizonans are currently not included in our state’s nondiscrimination laws around employment, housing, and other public accommodations? The Statewide Nondiscrimination Act would expand Arizona’s existing non-discrimination laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity, so that LGBTQ+ Arizonans have the same protections provided to everyone else. The bill is needed now more than ever, as Republican lawmakers push an anti-LGBTQ+ agenda that includes criminalizing drag and attacking the rights of trans and nonbinary youth. Shoutout to our partners at Human Rights Campaign Arizona and the ACLU of Arizona for helping to introduce this bill!

Everyone’s laughing at the AZGOP. Including us. From a canceled Trump Rally, the resignation of AZ Chair Jeff Dewitt, and the Kari Lake blackmail/bribe scandal. Catch up here. 

Demand that our state legislators protect voters this year! Join the Arizona Voting Rights Coalition at the #AZLEG on Thursday, February 1, 2024, from 12pm-1pm at the Rose Garden of the Arizona State Capitol for the 2024 Legislative Kick-Off press conference and rally. Protecting voting rights must be this year’s top legislative priority and we need you to help make it happen! Register here. 

Thanks for reading Last Week, This Morning! 

Abigail with Progress Arizona

   

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