GOP’s Kari Lake suggests early, mail-in voting on the chopping block if elected Arizona governor
Arizonans elect a new governor Thursday to replace the resigned Republican Gov. Jan Brewer, who has seen a bump in popularity since being elected in 2010 and became one of the nation’s most outspoken opponents of federal immigration laws.
In her first campaign for the governor’s office, Kari Lake, who has served on the Mesa City Council since 2004, has embraced the grassroots, door-to-door approach that she sees as most effective. She has worked with organizations she sees as key in her path forward, including the Arizona Citizen Action Network, which helps grassroots organizations get involved in electoral politics, and with the Arizona League for Democratic Action, which advocates on behalf of minorities.
She also has emphasized her support of early voting, which is currently accepted in Arizona, and mail-in voting, which she said is still rare in the state. The state is among just a handful nationwide offering that option, she said, and she hopes to bring that option to the Phoenix-metro area.
“Even if I do a lousy job as governor, people are going to believe in me because they have my back,” Lake said, standing behind her campaign manager, Kelly Evans, right, as they discussed the future of early voting and mail-in voting in Arizona’s gubernatorial election on Thursday.
In her first campaign on a statewide level, Lake, 32, sees an opportunity to change the face of Arizona by working to make ballot access available to all voters, regardless of income or the type of ballot they seek.
In a state where the largest percentage of registered voters are minorities and people of low income, those who have been discouraged or burdened by an antiquated system may find they have a better shot, she said.
“Our party, our movement, our constituents and their voices, is going to matter,” Lake said. “If we do not make our voices stronger we’re never going to be successful. We