Arizona Republican Attacks Black Lawmaker for Speaking Out Against Voter Suppression

WASHINGTON — The Arizona House passed a voter suppression bill yesterday that threatens to purge hundreds of thousands of voters from the state’s permanent early voting list; more than 75 percent of ballots cast in Arizona last year were early ballots. After Democrats highlighted that the bill targets communities of color, Republican Representative Travis Grantham whined about being singled out and argued House Democratic Leader Reginald Bolding, a Black lawmaker from Phoenix, should “be sat down and he shouldn’t be allowed to speak.”

“If Republicans don’t want to be called racist, then they should stop proposing voter suppression bills that target communities of color,” said Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Jessica Post. “Limiting access to early voting has nothing to do with election integrity — Republicans just want to silence all dissenting voices, just as GOP lawmakers tried to silence their Democratic colleagues yesterday. If Representative Grantham can’t handle hearing his colleague speak the truth about the racist legislation he supports, then he should think twice about advocating for such damaging policies.”

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