by Laurie Roberts, columnist Jun. 13, 2012 12:00 AM
The Republic | azcentral.com
The plea for relief is going up across Arizona.
“I am totally disgusted with a legislature that puts special interests and personal beliefs before the constituents they are supposed to represent …,” writes Sue Coady of Carefree. “We need a massive change.”
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by Mary Mary Jo Pitzl – Jun. 11, 2012 11:19 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com
Despite efforts to increase competitiveness through redistricting, fewer candidates are running for legislative seats this year, which means fewer contested races compared with two years ago.
by Michelle Ye Hee Lee – May. 26, 2012
The Arizona Republic
Slightly more than half of Maricopa County’s registered voters are now on the permanent early voting list, which could help lighten the workload at voting precincts and ultimately save money in election cycles.
The increase in residents registered for early voting in recent years has led the county to consolidate voting precincts. There are about 400 fewer voting precincts starting this year — a move county election officials expect to save $1 million per election year.
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by Lynh Bui – May. 26, 2012
The Arizona Republic
Phoenix residents: How do you feel about having Greg Stanton as your mayor for an extra year? Or going seven years before voting in a City Council election again?
These are just two examples of the unintended consequences Phoenix and other Arizona cities and towns could experience after Gov. Jan Brewer signed a law requiring that municipal elections be held in even-numbered years.
The law, aimed at boosting voter turnout and saving cities money, takes effect in 2014.
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by Yvonne Wingett Sanchez – May. 26, 2012
The Arizona Republic
Gov. Jan Brewer attracted attention this legislative session, issuing strong vetoes and weighing in on controversial topics ranging from birth control and abortion to studying the Bible in schools and personnel reform.
The session culminated in a $8.5billion budget plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Brewer and the Legislature’s Republican leaders said it holds the line on most spending while providing modest boosts to education, mental health and public safety.
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