Coalition Files Legal Challenge, Puts Connerly on Notice as SOS Results Released

Photos of volunteers at work available!!!For Immediate Release: August 18, 2008
For More Information:
Kyrsten Sinema, Chair
602.570.7217
Sarah Luna, Communications Manager
480.205.3809

Coalition Files Legal Challenge, Puts Connerly on Notice as SOS Results Released
Credits Massive Volunteer Effort for Gathering Evidence to Stop Connerly


(Phoenix) At a Press Conference outside the office of the Arizona Secretary of State, Protect Arizona’s Freedom today announced its legal challenge to the validity of over 100,000 signatures based on evidence of 13 categories of fraudulent and illegal signature-gathering tactics compiled by a massive statewide volunteer effort. The PAF signatures challenged by the PAF complaint are separate from those expected to be invalidated by the AZ Secretary of State based exclusively on voter registration.

“The fraudulent and deceptive signature-gathering tactics brought into Arizona by Connerly have had a far-reaching impact on the ballot process generally in our state and a number of propositions have been tossed,” said PAF Chair Kyrsten Sinema. “We’ve been talking for months about Connerly and the underhanded tactics used by the Georgia National Ballot Access firm in state after state so it comes as no big surprise.”

Over the past couple of weeks close to 1,000 volunteers sat side-by-side, day after day, 24-7, in their ‘war room’ in downtown Phoenix reviewing petitions for the so-called Arizona Civil Rights Initiative. Boxes of petitions flanked Sinema and the plaintiffs by her side at the press conference to underscore the monumental task undertaken by volunteers.
“Once citizens understood the impact of the Connerly Initiative on valued Arizona programs and the tactics used by outsiders to push it on us a groundswell of opposition developed with people eager to help. We file this complaint today with the strength of our coalition and the evidence compiled and confidently serve notice on Mr. Connerly that if he chooses to continue his efforts, he will lose,” Sinema concluded.