Rep. Shawnna Bolick is the anti-democracy Republican behind the bill. She’s the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee and the wife of a state Supreme Court justice.
From NBC News:
[The bill] rewrites parts of the state's election law, such as sections on election observers and securing and auditing ballots, among other measures.
One section grants the Legislature, which is currently under GOP control, the ability to revoke the secretary of state's certification "by majority vote at any time before the presidential inauguration."
Had this law been in effect in November, it would have allowed the legislature to toss out the election results, which Joe Biden won, and hand the state’s 11 Electoral College votes to Donald Trump, KPHO-PHX editor Dennis Welch pointed out.
Fortunately, there’s been what Welch called a “fierce” outcry. Secretary of State Katie Hobbs said sarcastically, “Why not just do away with elections altogether and just have the legislature pick all of our elected officials?”
U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego has said that if the bill passes, he will work to have it defeated by public referendum.
Referendums are expensive but I will raise the money to kill this Democracy killing bill. Follow this bill if it passes we will have 90 days after it is signed into law to collect the necessary signatures to get it on the ballot and then defeat it. https://t.co/i1M8lm5FCj
— Ruben Gallego (@RubenGallego) January 29, 2021
Naturally, Bolick is playing the victim. She's also gaslighting. She issued a statement saying, “The mainstream media is using the elections bill as click bait to generate misleading headlines. This bill would give the Arizona legislature back the power it delegated to certify the elections. It is a good, democratic check and balance.”
As of now, the bill has not been scheduled for a committee hearing in the House, Welch reported.
