Border securityAuthor of controversial Arizona immigration bill could face recall
A heated political battle in Arizona has begun that could result in the author of the state’s controversial immigration law Senate President Russell Pearce’s recall; the leaders of the recall effort, Citizens For A Better Arizona (CFBA), say they have collected more signatures for the petition to recall Pearce than the number of votes he received in the last election; on Tuesday, the group submitted 18,315 signatures in support of the recall, more than double the state’s requirement of 7,756 signatures; before the recall can move forward, the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office must validate each of the signatures
Arizona Senator Pearce, senate president, faces recall // Source: flickr.com
A heated political battle in Arizona has begun that could result in the author of the state’s controversial immigration law Senate President Russell Pearce’s recall.
The leaders of the recall effort, Citizens For A Better Arizona (CFBA), say they have collected more signatures for the petition to recall Pearce than the number of votes he received in the last election.
On Tuesday, the group submitted 18,315 signatures in support of the recall, more than double the state’s requirement of 7,756 signatures. CFBA, which describes itself as “a coalition of concerned citizens committed to improving the quality of life of all Arizonans,” filed the petition in response to several of the laws Pearce has drafted, chief among them SB1070, the hotly debated immigration law which would require police officers to check an individual’s immigration papers.
In addition, according to the group’s website CFBA is unhappy with Pearce’s vote “to terminate health care for seniors, struggling families and people with a disability,” his opposition to the fourteenth amendment, his vote “to require American citizens show a Government ID for emergency care,” and his opposition to allow access to public education for all Arizona children.
Before the recall can move forward, the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office must validate each of the signatures.
Pearce’s supporters have set up an organization, Citizens Who Oppose the Pearce Recall, to oppose the recall and have begun accepting donations.
Matt Tolman, the head of the pro-Pearce group, says that he is suspicious of the signatures gathered and believes that many of them may be duplicates or from outside of Pearce’s district.
“I just don’t trust them,” Tolman said. “If someone runs against Russell, they will be committing political suicide down the road.”
Last November, Pearce gained a total of 17,552 votes and handily defeated his two opponents.
Chad Snow, the head of CFBA, said that each of the signatures the group collected was from Pearce’s district by a crew of roughly 400 volunteers.
“We were surprised by the response we got in the district,” he said. “I think we’ll have over 10,000 that are valid.”
In a statement thanking his supporters, Pearce said, “I am so grateful that some of my friends have stepped forward to oppose this recall and defend the truth.”
“The personal, hurtful attacks by people who don’t even live in Arizona must stop. Working together we can bring Arizonans together and move our State forward,” he added.
If the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office finds that enough signatures are valid and the Secretary of State’s Office verifies the findings as well, the recall election could be held in November or in March, depending on how quickly the two offices work their way through the signatures.