Calm down: No one’s rights were violated in Arizona’s presidential preference election
Apr 12, 2016, 2:09 PM | Updated: 2:12 pm
Over the past couple of days, we have been reporting on a lawsuit that has been filed by John Brakey of AUDIT-AZ against Maricopa County election officials.
Brakey is still hot over Arizona’s presidential preference election a few weeks ago.
He is accusing election officials of misconduct and is demanding a partial recount of the ballots.
If there is variance in any of the recounts, the state will be subject to a do-over election.
The lawsuit claims, “both voter suppression and election procedures were so egregious that it could have cost 150,000 people in Maricopa County their right to vote and altered the results of both the Democratic and Republican primaries.”
Brakey comes to the 150,000 number with some interesting estimates, but I’m not a math guy, so I’ll take his word for it.
Look, I understand that Brakey and many more are upset about the March 22 debacle but this is a ginormous waste of time and taxpayer money!
Yes, the system failed many voters. Yes, it looked shady to everyone that was paying attention. Yes, Secretary of State Michele Reagan and County Recorder Helen Purcell should step down.
But please tell me who promised ANYONE the right to vote in a primary election?
Correct, no one did. Because it is not a protected right! We are simply game pieces in the respective parties’ game, in which they set the rules.
If this doesn’t make sense yet, read the next sentence over and over until it does:
NO ONE’S RIGHTS WERE VIOLATED!
The only thing that our election officials are guilty of here is incompetence. They flat out can’t handle the job. Period.
So let’s say that we end up having another costly presidential preference election. Will it be managed better than March 22? Maybe. Will the results be different? Maybe.
Does it matter to the Republican Party, the Democrat Party or their delegates? Absolutely not!
Another election would be symbolic — at best — because the parties have shown us that they will nominate who THEY want, not who YOU vote for.
Let’s just look at the bright side: At least us Arizonians had a chance to vote and were given the illusion that our vote mattered.
It could always be worse. We could live in Colorado where the Republican Party decided to cancel their presidential preference election and hand all of their delegates to Ted Cruz without the say of the people.
Once again, there is nothing left to do but stay calm, don’t freak out, grab some popcorn and enjoy the circus.
