Alarmed that Arizona’s 11 electoral votes mightnot be counted in the process for selecting the next American president, Republicans and Democrats in this political battleground did something rare: They found consensus.
After months of warnings and a frantic series of negotiations, the narrowly divided legislature passed a bill Thursday aimed at giving election officials more time to run the 2024 primary and general elections. The last-minute fix eased anxieties for election officialswho for months had imploredArizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to make changes to the election calendar to allow them more time todo their jobs while meeting mandated deadlines — or risk national embarrassment and an electoral crisis.
Finally, the pressure of a Friday deadline brought together an unlikely alliance in a state where election skepticism took root after Donald Trump’s 2020 loss and still flourishes. A supermajority of lawmakers from all factions — from MAGA Republicans to progressive Democrats — came together to pass the legislation.