Arizona State Senators Michelle Ugenti-Rita and Paul Boyer voted with Democrats to kill State Senator Kelly Townsend’s SB1241, which had over 34 serious election integrity and security provisions.
Senate Government Committee Chairwoman Michelle Ugenti-Rita led the charge in killing this bill claiming that it was ominous and “half-baked”.
RINO Boyer previously co-sponsored a resolution to hold the County Board of Supervisors in contempt for their non-compliance with the Arizona Senate, then voted “no”. That vote killed the resolution.
SB1241 was meant to Outline requirements for chain of custody, as well as consequences of a chain of custody violation. It also requires ballot receipts for voters and utilizes the Arizona Department of Transportation and County Recorder to clean voter rolls.
Paul Boyer listened to Ugenti-Rita’s instruction and sided with Democrats as well.
I support the SB1241 election integrity bill and am appalled that we do not have the votes to pass this bill. Please call your senators and make sure they are on board! We must pass SB1241 to protect election integrity in Arizona!
— Wendy Rogers (@WendyRogersAZ) June 29, 2021
These two killed this bill because it did not align with their agenda.
State Senator Townsend told TGP that Ugenti-Rita refused to talk to Townsend and amend the bill until it was too late. She never even gave the bill a hearing or put it on the calendar.
Ugenti-Rita told Townsend that if she removed the chain of custody clauses that she would vote yes with Republicans. Ugenti-Rita claimed that Townsend went around her with these chain of custody clauses.
State Senator Townsend told The Gateway Pundit that Ugenti-Rita was “hellbent on getting those portions out” and wonders why.
As Senate Government Committee Chairwoman, Michelle Ugenti-Rita handles election bills. After calling Townsend’s bill “half baked” and “omnibus”, she killed the bill instead of offering amendment suggestions as she could have.
Townsend says that she doesn’t even know that Ugenti read the bill.
Ugenti-Rita is running for Arizona Secretary of State in the 2022 midterm. She doesn’t support these critical election security measures but she wants to run Arizona’s elections?
Here you have hardcore Democrats supporting today's action by @MichelleUgenti when she killed serious election integrity provisions in my bill, SB1251 . That tells you EVERYTHING you need to know. https://t.co/3xELaOgEhI
— Kelly Townsend (@AZKellyT) June 29, 2021
Luckily we have real patriots like Mark Finchem, candidate for Arizona Secretary of State, who will stop this power grabber in her tracks during next year’s primaries. Vote Finchem.
Senator Townsend spoke on the Senate floor earlier this week saying:
I’m concerned with the methodology of making sure that this bill with the provisions doesn’t pass by using arguments that, oh, well she went around me therefore we need to kill the bill. When I was asked to go to take this to conference committee I was told it was because I went around the chair in her committee that is no reason to kill a bill that is no reason to vote no on good election, Integrity language that is needed this year. In order to be in effect in time for the primary election next year.
So I find it reprehensible that pride, lack of reading the bills in the beginning, or any other reason is actually going to kill good legislation that would restore confidence for every single person here in this state, in their election process so that they can cast a ballot in next year’s primary knowing that chain of custody is secure. Because in the 2020 general election, contractors were able to go into the cage where the hard drives were being kept. Without chain of custody and having access to that equipment, and I could list many other reasons why we need to secure our chain of custody.
But if this bill goes down the 2022 primary election will have the same rules when it comes to chain of custody, as it had in the 2020 general election because of pride, because of nonfeasance, because the chairwoman didn’t like that I went around her, and because there’s many provisions in one bill called an omnibus.
For those reasons, this Chairwoman is denying the people of Arizona, confidence, and election security.
That’s unacceptable. I will vote no, to reconsider this bill, and I want everyone to think long and hard, What just happened.
