Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett (R) told TPM on Wednesday there is no need for federal voting standards, saying citizens could pressure their own state officials to fix local voting problems.
“I think the people in Arizona that are most interested in not standing in lines are Arizonans,” Bennett told TPM following his testimony before a Senate Judicary Committee hearing on voting rights. “I don’t think we need legislation from Washington, D.C. to say how long people in Arizona should have to stand in line.” He added that long lines in Florida was an issue that Florida officials should have to deal with.
“I don’t know of any situations in Arizona that rival the six-, seven-hour situations that I was hearing about in other states,” Bennett said. “Mandating that we all do it one way, a one-size-fits-all way of doing things, I don’t think ever improves the situation. It usually creates unintended consequences and has negative implications rather than positive ones.”
