PHX Reporter

On May 22, Arizona State Senate Majority Leader Sonny Borrelli released a letter he sent to every county in the state informing them that all electronic voting machines will be banned from the 2024 election.

State Rep. Rachel Jones (R-Tucson) shared the news on Twitter with the comment, “This morning, all 15 AZ counties received a letter from Senator Borrelli informing them that they cannot use machines in the upcoming 2024 presidential election. The legislature has plenary power over federal elections according to the US Constitution. SCR1037 is already in play.”       

Borrelli's letter reads: “Arizona State Senate Majority Leader Sonny Borrelli is notifying all County Board of Supervisors within the state of Arizona via letter today that they must first and foremost prioritize protecting national security during any future elections. Back in 2017, the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security issued a statement clearly designating elections infrastructure as critical infrastructure, which means these electronic systems must have safeguards in place to prevent any attacks which threaten our national security.”                

“This session, the Senate passed legislation that would have fulfilled federal government requirements to protect critical elections infrastructure, however Senate Bill 1074 was vetoed by the Governor. Therefore, with the passage of Senate Concurrent Resolution 1037 (SCR 1037) by the Legislature and its transmission to the Secretary of State, the Legislature is exercising our plenary authority to see that no electronic voting systems in the state of Arizona are used as the primary method for conducting, counting, tabulating, or verifying federal elections, unless those systems meet necessary standards of protection.”

The law was vetoed by Arizona governor Katie Hobbs, who won in a disputed election over Republican candidate Kari Lake. However, according to Borrelli, the state legislature has plenary power over federal elections as the Constitution gives it to them over any other authority. The Legislature cannot claim the highest authority over lower-level elections in the state or local communities.