March 28, 2024 5:27 PM
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Arizona Freedom Caucus: “Ranked Choice Voting is a Scam that Destroys Integrity in Elections”

In response to the astroturf attempt to force Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) on Arizona and states across the country, the Arizona Freedom Caucus (AFC) has released the following statement:

The Arizona Freedom Caucus unequivocally opposes Ranked Choice Voting.  The problems with RCV are numerous and well-documented, the least of which is the erosion of the one-citizen, one-vote principle which has long guided American elections.  In jurisdictions where it has been tried, RCV has caused the exact outcomes which election integrity legislators have sought to eliminate, such as disenfranchisement, voter confusion, delayed results, and the unnecessary complication of our elections process.

“Ranked Choice Voting is an unmitigated disaster as seen recently in Alaska and local municipalities races,” said Arizona Freedom Caucus Member Austin Smith.  “Arizona—Maricopa County specifically—already has a bad record of voter tabulation and counting process. Between voter confusion, high rates of ballot exhaustion and the difficulty of tabulating the results, RCV increases voter disenfranchisement, distrust in the process and deters candidates from taking stances on issues important to every Arizonan. The bottom line is RCV is a scam that destroys integrity in elections.”

“RCV may not always result in the candidate with the most first-choice votes winning the election,” said Arizona Freedom Caucus Member Senator Anthony Kern.  “I am aware that there are groups in Arizona advocating for RCV, but this will only lead to chaos, and we must ensure that our constituents have easy and fair access to the ballot box.”

“RCV introduces voter disenfranchisement perpetrated by its ‘exhausted ballots’ because the effect is the silencing of significant portions of the electorate,” said Arizona Freedom Caucus Member Senator Justine Wadsack.  “Exhausted ballots are those that do not rank any continuing candidate, contain an overvote at the highest continuing ranking, or contain two or more sequential skipped rankings before its highest continuing ranking.”

The Arizona Freedom Caucus formally supports the passage of HB 2552 and SB 1265.

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