"I am appalled, though not surprised, at the outlandish accusations being leveled against Republicans by Democrats regarding Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR) 1018. SCR 1018 isn’t even a bill, despite their reference to it as such, but rather a resolution, which means it would go before the people of Arizona for their consideration. As a matter of basic fairness, the measure would ensure that districts cannot vary in population by more than 5000 people (currently districts can vary by tens of thousands of people). Evidently, Democrats don’t think the voters of Arizona deserve the right to determine for themselves whether or not districts should be more equal. They claim the measure would disenfranchise voters, but in fact it would remedy the disenfranchising of tens of thousands of Arizonans that is occurring now, especially in my district. Equal representation is one of the most fundamental principles of our Democratic Republic. Yet the current map rules allow voters to be packed into districts in violation of this principle, simply to give a partisan edge to one political party. Since the Democrats are the clear beneficiaries of this deck-stacking, I understand why they would want to preserve the status quo and deprive the voters of the opportunity to address it. But that doesn’t make it right. The fact that they are injecting the COVID-19 pandemic into their accusations is all the more outrageous. They should be ashamed of themselves.
I never turn away from a good discussion and I am open to feedback, but these accusations are both false and ridiculous, and I had to make sure our constituents hear the truth, especially since the people in my district are among those being treated most unfairly. I remain hopeful that we can create greater equality in district representation, but at the very least, I strongly believe the voters should have the final say. SCR 1018 would give them the opportunity."
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