AG Horne defends election law to AZ Supreme Court today

Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne  presents Arizonans with a rare opportunity this afternoon. Horne will argue Tucson v. Arizona before the Arizona Supreme Court at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, December 6, at the Thunderbird School of Global Management, 1 Global Place, Glendale, AZ 85306 (Map)

The case centers on a 2009 state law, A.R.S. 9-821.01, a law requiring cities to have non-partisan elections and prohibit some at-large elections.

The prohibited system, now used in Tucson (but this statute would also prevent other cities from adopting that system) tends to disenfranchise voters in districts where the majority is different than the overall majority in that city. In a number of districts, the voters have been represented by someone who lost in their district.

Earlier, the state Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Tucson’s argument that this was purely a local matter and the Legislature had no right to pass laws on the subject. The Arizona Supreme Court granted review, and Horne will argue that the State does have a legitimate interest and that the statute is valid.

You can also watch the proceedings live at http://azcourts.gov/AZSupremeCourt/LiveArchivedVideo.aspx

Note: After accessing the page, scroll down and you will see the Tucson v. Arizona case under “Upcoming Events.” Next to the case you will see “case summary.” Once the argument goes live at 2:00 p.m. “oral argument” will appear next to “case summary.” Select the “oral argument” text and the feed will appear.