Republicans desperate to keep immigrants from showing up at midterm polls and voting them out

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ICE at the polls: Arizona Republicans push plan to require agents at all polling places

This week, the Arizona Senate will take up a proposal to force all 15 of the state’s counties to sign an agreement with ICE “to provide for a federal immigration law enforcement presence at each location within this state where ballots are cast or deposited.”

The Senate Judiciary and Elections Committee is slated to take up the strike-everything amendment to Senate Bill 1570 either Wednesday or Friday. (The committee has scheduled nearly 60 bills for hearings over the two meetings, but it’s unknown which measures will be considered on which day. This is the final week for legislative committees to hear bills.)

Even if it passes, the proposal by Sen. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, seems to directly run afoul of federal law, which bars “any troops or armed men” who are part of “the civil, military, or naval service of the United States” from being deployed to polling locations. The only exception is if doing so is needed to “repel armed enemies of the United States.”

In Arizona, where nearly half of the population is nonwhite — including one-third of residents who are Latino — stationing immigration agents outside of polling places where they could detain anyone who showed up to vote would likely result in some voters opting not to cast a ballot.

read: https://azmirror.com/briefs/ice-at-the-polls-arizona-republicans-push-plan-to-require-agents-at-all-polling-places/


‘Racist’ GOP bill would put ICE agents at every voting location
The bill applies only to the 2026 general election.

That’s the gist of a bill being pushed by Republican state Sen. Wendy Rogers, a notorious far-right lawmaker who was once censured by her own party for speaking at a white nationalist conference. Rogers has crafted a strike-everything amendment — that’s when a bill’s text is scrapped and replaced by something new — to a bill previously sponsored by fellow far-right state Sen. Jake Hoffman. Rogers’ version of Senate Bill 1570 would force county elections officials to strike agreements with federal immigration authorities to place immigration agents at every voting location, including early voting sites and ballot dropboxes.

The text of the bill requires that county boards of supervisors and county recorders, which share election duties in much of the state, “enter into a written agreement with a federal immigration law enforcement agency to provide for a federal immigration law enforcement presence at each location within this state where ballots are cast or deposited.” ICE agents may “observe election activities and perform lawful duties within the scope of their federal authority,” but cannot “interfere with the casting or depositing of ballots except as otherwise authorized by law.” They also could not “question, detain or arrest a voter solely for the purpose of determining voter eligibility.”

In Arizona, where nearly half of the population is nonwhite — including one-third of residents who are Latino — stationing immigration agents outside of polling places where they could detain anyone who showed up to vote would likely result in some voters opting not to cast a ballot.

Several voting rights advocates and Democrats think the amendment’s subtext is pretty clear: This law would allow the federal government to intimidate Arizona voters.

“It’s deeply disturbing,” said Democratic state Sen. Analise Ortiz. “It’s racist and it’s intended to intimidate people from turning out to vote.”

https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/arizona-bill-ice-agents-at-every-voting-location-40646275/

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[leftstreet]

1. This could keep A LOT of voters away

Even if they don't follow through, or courts strike this down, etc.

We've just been inundated with images from Minneapolis of armed masked ICE law enforcement assassins, harassing people, killing them.

How many people would be anxious to run a gauntlet like that to vote? Just the thought of it, the mention of it in the headlines....

brilliant ruthless voter suppression

[markodochartaigh]

2. Tens of millions of immigrants do vote in every national election.

The Republicans constantly try to muddy the waters by using imprecise vocabulary. The word immigrants may refer to everyone whose ancestors came here after 1492, to people who came here years ago and are now legally able to vote, to people who came here legally but who are not able to vote, or to people who came here without going through a border crossing procedure (usually a misdemeanor, like a dui).

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4. in this case, it means brown-skinned people

...who they've been racially-profiling and targeted under the Kavanaugh rule, or the general impunity they're enjoying for snatching brown-skinned people off of the street, no matter what id they show or what protestations they make.

That's what's awaiting brown-skinned people at the polls, unless there's some over act of impermissiveness that restricts these agents from anywhere near the polls.

I'd guess that there are countless numbers courageous to stand up for their own democracy and rights if they have that expectation of safe access to the polls.

Fortunately, Arizona hasn't yet befouled their mail in balloting.

[SSJVegeta]

3. GOP has nowhere near a supermajority in Arizona

Katie Hobbes will not sign this. Thankfully this will not become law even if it passes.

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5. I think what some are looking at here is whether some state will acquiesce to this

...and I think you're right about this not likely being veto-proof.

But this is clearly the aim of republicans from the WH down.

Like Homeland Security's Kristi Noem hinting that her agency will have a role in determining who's allowed to vote.

“When it gets to Election Day, we’ve been proactive to make sure we have the right people voting, electing the right leaders to lead this country,” she said on Friday.

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6. .