The scams/dirty tricks have already started

Let the voter registration games begin...

Got something in the mail today.  Not gonna open it as it's not addressed to me (actually, I've never heard of the person it's address to), but the outside indicates that it is problematical.

Looks official.  But then I saw this -

Voter registration mail with an Austin TX return address (not one from County of Maricopa or State of Arizona) AND it was mailed under a permit issued in Phoenix?

Seems sketchy.

It's also been tried in states other than AZ.

A quick Google search turned up an article from the Alabama Ledger, no date listed - 

Voters should be aware of Election Mail Service Scam

The Alabama Secretary of State’s Office has been made aware of another third-party organization contacting voters with outdated and inaccurate information to encourage voter registration and voter participation.

According to press release this letter is being sent by the Election Mail Service out of Austin, Texas and it encourages voters to visit ALVotes.org – a site that is not associated whatsoever with the Office of the Secretary of State. The letter notifies voters that they are not registered to vote and includes an unofficial voter registration application.

Voters should buckle up.  It's going to be a bumpy ride.

Be careful when using sponsored links

I don't know what it means, so I won't put out any politically-based generalizations.

Turning Point is spending money for outreach by using Google ads -

It don't know if TP's outreach campaign is nationwide or focused on Arizona only, but it brings up a valid (and non-political) point -

When using your preferred internet search engine, it may be best to ignore sponsored results.

As can be seen from above, a sponsored link may direct someone to a place that is polar opposite of the desired site.

Also, even when the title of a sponsored link has the name of the searched-for site, the actual link may direct a user to a hostile site.

...TP is not the only anti-democracy operator going online in order to further their agenda.

From ElectionLawBlog, dated 9/8 -

“The hidden dangers of Musk’s votesafe.org”

[snip]

While Vote.gov collects no personal information, votesafe.org collects the following:

• First, middle, and last name
• Date of birth
• Full home address
• Email address
• Cell phone number
• IP address and location (This information is used to derive each user’s city, zip code, approximate longitude and latitude, time zone, and internet provider.)
• Browser, operating system, screen size and language of your device
• What website referred you to votesafe.org
• Every link you click
• Every page you look at
• Your voter registration status (This is derived from a voter file held by America PAC or its vendors — not the state’s actual records.)
• Your district and ballot (This is derived from Ballotpedia.)

• 
  

Legislative schedule - week starting 9/13/2026

There's nothing on the legislative schedule this coming week.

Last week, I wrote about a scheduled press conference by Andy Biggs, slated for 9/9.

It's been rescheduled to 9/22.

While Biggs didn't attend the MAGA pep rally/cult meeting in Dallas last week, apparently, he didn't wish to conflict with it.

CD1 Update: Feely's in trouble, and he knows it

His Democratic opponent, Amish Shah, may be ecstatic* right now.

* = As much as anyone can be ecstatic while working in an ER.

Bottom line: Feely is tacking rightward in the general election period in a swing district.  Needing to shore up the base after the primary is not a good thing.

From AZMirror, written by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy -

Jay Feely leans into Trump as swing-seat Republicans back away

As Republican candidates nationally skipped President Donald Trump’s “midterm convention” and have sought to separate themselves from the historically unpopular president, Republican Jay Feely took the opposite tack, joining Trump in Dallas and giving a speech to the GOP faithful. 

Feely, a former NFL kicker and broadcaster, leveraged Trump’s endorsement in the July primary election to win the Republican nomination in Congressional District 1, which spans large swaths of Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Fountain Hills and north and central Phoenix. 

[snip]

But other than a jab at Shah that aimed to try to connect him to democratic socialism — an allegation Feely has made previously that has been rebutted by Shah’s campaign — Feely’s speech focused more on how voting for Republicans protects America’s “greatness.” 

Arizona Ballot Measures 2026: vote no on everything

That's the short version, though most readers want more.

The not-as-short version: there are eight questions on the ballot for AZ voters to consider; all were put there by the Republicans in the Arizona Legislature.

They did so for multiple reasons, and none of them were about benefitting the average Arizonan.

Some the questions were placed on the ballot in an effort to inflict R propaganda on civil society, to raise R voter turnout, and, oh yeah, to evade the veto pen of Governor Hobbs.

Longer version, with individual analyses (though I'll try to keep them short):

Note: all pics are courtesy the Arizona Secretary of State's website.

Proposition 141 -

It's about exempting electric vehicles (EVs) from taxation as society transitions from vehicles that incur fuel taxes to EVs.

Prop 142 -

This one is about adding R bigotry to the state constitution and ending all DEI/affirmative action efforts. 

Prop 144 -

This one is an anti-vote by mail measure.  Cheeto votes by mail, but legislative Rs want to prevent the rest of society from doing so.

Prop 316 -

As there is no statewide sales tax on food, this is all about reducing and limiting the revenue received by jurisdictions that provide the most services to Arizonans.

Prop 317 -

This one would allow legislative Rs to designate anyone they don't like as a "drug cartel" and sic the Arizona Department of Homeland Security on them.

Prop 318 -

This one is bald anti-trans person bigotry.

Prop 319 -

This one is a two-fer - they get to attack photo radar (which they absolutely HATE) and defund the Citizens Clean Elections Commission (CCEC).  The CCEC receives funding from a surcharge on traffic tickets.  Legislative Rs also hate CCEC; it provides public funding for candidates who pledge to not accept money from private "donors"/special interests.   It serves to reduce bribing opportunities for the patrons of legislative Rs.

Prop 320 -

This one would severely limit budget independence of large public school districts and all school districts in Maricopa and Pima counties (and, based on my research, all but five of the large school districts affected by this are in Maricopa or Pima counties).

Under this measure, public school counselors, nurses, custodians, administrators, librarians, and more would all but go away.

Private and charter schools?  Not impacted.

Legislative schedule - week starting 9/6/2026

There's nothing on the legislative schedule this coming week, 

While I don't normally mention non-legislative event here, I'll make an exception is this case -

On Wednesday, 9/9, Republican candidate for governor of Arizona Andy Biggs will hold a press conference in his old stomping grounds (he used to be president of the state senate) to announce what he plans to do to AZ if he's elected.

He's scheduled to take 30 minutes to do something I can sum up here in a lot less time - 

Biggs' agenda:

1. Screw over the average Arizonan.

2. Aid and abet Cheeto.

Legislative schedule - week starting 8/30/2026

There's nothing on the legislative schedule this coming week, even though most of the week is in September.

Alexander Kolodin: the man who would be AZ Secretary of State is a well-connected scofflaw

David Gordon of Blog for Arizona has the details of a 2020 stop conducted by the Scottsdale Police Department - 

Alexander Kolodin, the Election Denier Looking to Take Away Your Right to Vote By Mail, Was Pulled Over and Handcuffed by Scottsdale PD in 2020

Alexander Kolodin is fast proving the maxim that “the more famous you get, the more scrutiny you get, the more backlash you get.”

Since becoming the Republican Nominee for Secretary of State in July, the Arizona State Legislators’ past sins and words have come under greater scrutiny.

[snip]

Today, reports and video have surfaced that Kolodin, in June, 2020, before he embarked on the political road that has led him to this point, was pulled over with a friend (who was driving) and handcuffed by Scottsdale Police for throwing out a can that had contained alcohol and for having firearms in the car.

According to reporting by Dennis Welch, the gun turned out to belong to Kolodin’s friend, and the future legislator was given a ticket for criminal littering. Kolodin also commented that the issue was resolved with him being cited for civil littering.

The base AZFamily (KPHO) story is here.

That covers the "scofflaw" part.

In 2020, Scottsdale P.D. cited Kolodin for littering even though he was in a car and was in possession  of an open container of alcohol and was in a vehicle with a gun.

However, Scottsdale P.D. (like most other P.D.s) has a track record of giving a free pass on bad behavior to folks they consider to be wealthy and/or well-connected (or going light on them if a complete free pass isn't possible).

Free pass:

From KTAR, written by Serena O'Sullivan, dated 8/20 -

Scottsdale mayor says she never skipped court over speeding ticket, calls controversy ‘a setup’

Scottsdale Mayor Lisa Borowsky says she never skipped a court date over a photo radar ticket because she never knew the citation existed until a reporter called her after it had already been dismissed.

“There was no court date. That didn’t happen. No skipped court date, no ducking out on a fine,” Borowsky told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show Thursday. “There was no fine because the citation was dismissed before I even knew about it. Those are the facts.”

And Borowsky has endorsed Kolodin.

Going light -

From 12News, written by Wendy Halloran, dated 9/8/2016 -

Former Mesa cop had free rein of Scottsdale jail while serving DUI sentence

A 12 News continuing investigation has triggered an internal affairs investigation at the Scottsdale Police Department and three of the top command staff at the city jail have been suspended.

Former Mesa Police Lieutenant Rick Van Galder was pulled over in Gilbert back in February and later pleaded guilty to driving drunk. At the time of his arrest, his blood alcohol level was almost four times the legal limit.

 

Kolodin is well-connected, even before he was elected to the state legislature.

From the 2021 financial disclosure filing of then-State Representative (now State Senator) Shawnna Bolick (covering the year 2020) -

Her husband, AZ Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick, made a similar filing.

A sitting state legislator and a sitting justice on the AZ Supreme Court are the parents of one of his employees?

Sounds pretty well-connected to me.

Dolly Parton passes: another icon is gone

There aren't many musical artists who transcend genre, meaning one may dislike their base genre but still be a fan of the artist.

Dolly Parton was one of the very few.  I can't stand country but liked her music.

pic also from NPR

From NPR -

Dolly Parton, one of country music's most singular performers, has died at age 80

Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80.

The artist's death was confirmed in a statement from her representatives, as well as in a video posted to social media from her nephew Bryan Seaver.

"A rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see, Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family," reads the statement, which notes that Parton "died peacefully" in Nashville, Tenn., on Aug. 25, 2026. In a later statement, Parton's publicist Marcel Pariseau said that the cause of death was "a brief battle with cancer," according to the Associated Press.

Legislative schedule - week starting 8/23/2026

There's nothing on the legislative schedule this coming week.

Appearance of impropriety

When it's all said and done, all any of us really has is our credibility.

Which is something the Arizona Supreme Court has thrown away.  

Rather enthusiastically.

This has NOT been a good week for the people of Arizona.

From AZMirror, written by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy, dated 8/18 -

School voucher regulation measure Prop. 212 is pushed off the ballot

A ballot measure that would ask voters to institute sweeping regulations to Arizona’s billion-dollar universal school voucher program is effectively dead. 

The Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled against the backers of Proposition 212, upholding a lower court’s decision that disqualified a number of voter signatures in support of the measure, putting it below the threshold to make the ballot.

 

At least two of the justices hearing the matter should never been allowed anywhere near this matter -

Justice Clint Bolick is a former employee of the Goldwater Institute, a lobbying firm masquerading as a non-profit and one that was heavily involved in the anti school voucher regulation effort.

From the AZ Supreme Court's bio of Bolick -

Justice Bill Montgomery was the vice president of the board of Great Heart Academies, an entity that profits from ESAs.

From the financial disclosure form filed by Montgomery on 5/27/2016 -

At this point, the best thing that can be said about them is that they're not even trying to conceal their bias.

In the 90s, there was a similar utter betrayal of the public's trust, one that resulted in the Voter Protection Act being added to the state's constitution; maybe if there's a similar response to this one, perhaps we'll add a requirement forcing judges/justices to recuse themselves when hearing a matter involving an organization they were once part of or involved with, and if a judge/justice hears a case they shouldn't, their decision in that matter is null and void.

Legislative schedule - week starting 8/16/2026

In a bit of a switch up, there's one meeting on the schedule.  Of course, it's the result of a court case, and is something they HAVE to do.  As it's not voluntary, they will almost mess things up again.

On Monday, 8/17 -Nada.

On Tuesday, 8/18 

-

Legislative Council meets at 11:30 a.m. in HHR1.  On the agenda::they are meeting to revise their improper description of Proposition 212, the Protect Education Act, put on the ballot to rein in. ESAs/school vouchers by voters, but thoroughly opposed by legislative Rs.

They were upbraided by a couple of courts for their bad faith attempt to influence voters with the negative language they approved for the publicity pamphlet to be sent to all voters,

From the AZMirror, written by Gloria Rebecca Gomez -

Supreme Court orders GOP to rewrite ‘argumentative’ voucher measure summary

The Arizona Supreme Court shot down a request from Republican lawmakers to preserve their summary of the voucher-regulating Protect Education Act in a voter education pamphlet, ruling that the description violates state law because it tries to sway voters against the initiative. 

The Protect Education Act, which will be on November’s ballots as Proposition 212, would overhaul the state’s universal private school voucher system. Among other things, it seeks to add an income eligibility cap, crack down on voucher misuse and require schools that accept vouchers to meet certain educational and safety requirements

. 

The ruling was the Arizona Supreme Court upholding an initial ruling handed down in Maricopa County Superior Court.

The case there was CV2026-029280.

Information is available here.

On Wednesday, 8/19 and Thursday, 8/20 - Nada.

One lesson that both major parties seemed to learned: very few legislative seats are completely unchallenged

Don't misunderstand me - many of the districts are "safe" districts, meaning that because of a registration advantage in a particular district, a specific party is almost certain to win in that particular district.

All information from the website of the Arizona Secretary of State -

This year there are 27 contested races for 30 AZSenate seats.  Only three are uncontested

And there are 25 contested districts in the AZHouse (2 representative spots in each district),  15 of which have two candidates from one party and one candidate from the other, meaning that is ceding one of the two seats to the other party (note: many, but not all, of these are "split" districts, with each major party claiming the affiliation of on of the current members of the AZ House.

In 2024, there were 22 contested races in the AZSenate, and 27 contested districts in the AZHouse (and 14 two/one districts).

In 2022, there were 22 contested races in the Senate, and 20 contested districts in the House (and 18 two/ones)

In 2020, there were 20 contested races in the Senate, and 25 contested races in the House (with 25 two/ones.)

Legislative schedule - week starting 8/9/2026

No legislative committee is on the schedule this coming week.

Short attention span musing

...Outsiders *really* shouldn't interfere in primaries.

- An industry PAC tried to influence some AZ legislative races, including the one in my district.

It didn't work.

- A pro-corporate arm of the national Democratic Party helicoptered in and tried to influence the race in AZCD1.

It didn't work.

This phenomenon isn't just limited to AZ.

- A pro-genocide PAC tried to influence the US Senate race in MI.

It didn't work.

Notice a pattern?

...The two major party candidates for Arizona Governor have chosen their running mates - Democratic incumbent Katie Hobbs selected the former mayor of Mesa, John Giles (note: this pick is still unofficial and could change), while her Republican challenger Andy Biggs chose former legislator Sine Kerr.

The best thing that can be said about Giles is that he fulfills the one major requirement for any number 2, be they a lieutenant governor candidate or a vice presidential candidate - if things go sideways and the main candidate can't serve a complete term, people will be comfortable with the running mate stepping up and serving out the rest of the term.

The best thing that can be said about Kerr is that she is considered to be more "likeable" than Biggs.  Of course, he has set the bar kind of low in that regard - anyone involved in AZ politics, is available (aka - not running for another office, and isn't named Kari Lake, is more likeable than him.

... Cyclosporiasis (the "explosive diarrhea" parasite) is killing people now.

It's been linked to lettuce supplied by a large corporation with AZ ties, Taylor Farms.

It's gotten to the point where the company's CEO and executives should retain the services of defense attorneys and ask them if bribing a public official is a predicate act under the felony murder rules in the states where people are dying.

Note: I have not been able to find statewide data on the cyclosporiasis outbreak in AZ, but I was able to find some Maricopa County data.

From the website of Maricopa County -