PHOENIX — Republican senators in the legislative majority are moving on two paths to erect hurdles for ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ns who want to vote early.
On a party-line vote Monday, with Democrats opposed, GOP senators decided to scrap existing laws that determine the validity of early ballots based on county election workers matching voters’ signatures on the ballot envelopes with their signatures on file.
Instead, early voters would need to provide an affidavit with their date of birth and number of a state driver’s license, identification card or tribal enrollment card.
If they don’t have such identification, they would have to send a copy of any other federal, state or locally issued ID card.
And if they don’t have that?
Former ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ reporter Doug Kreutz enjoyed sharing the outdoors with readers before his retirement. Here are some of his saguaro videos.
The proposal by Sen. J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, would first require someone to provide their voter registration number.
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“Raise your hand if you know your voter registration number,†said Sen. Sean Bowie, D-Tempe, opposing the plan.
That wouldn’t be enough.
Then they would have to enclose a physical copy of something showing their address, such as a utility bill, vehicle registration form, property tax statement or a bank statement dated within the past 90 days.
Monday’s vote to advance Senate Bill 1713 to the House for consideration is just part of the GOP effort to make it more difficult to cast an early ballot.
Waiting in the wings for Senate debate is a proposal by Sen. David Gowan, R-Sierra Vista, already approved by the Appropriations Committee, that would give early voters less time to make a decision.
First, it would chop five days off the front end before early ballots have to be mailed out. Under his legislation, ballots could not be mailed out more than 22 days ahead of an election, down from 27 days. Even if people had previously requested an early ballot, it might not be sent out until 19 days before the election; current law mandates they go out at least 24 days before.
That is only half of Gowan’s proposal.
Right now any ballot delivered by the post office by 7 p.m. on Election Day gets counted.
Gowan’s Senate Bill 1593, however, says any ballot not postmarked by the prior Thursday would be discarded — even if it shows up before close of business on Election Day.
Nothing in Gowan’s bill would preclude a voter from taking their early ballot to a polling place on Election Day, turning it in, and instead getting a regular ballot.
The two measures are part of a sustained effort by Republicans to change the rules following the 2020 presidential election that Democrat Biden won over Donald Trump in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, a result some have refused to accept as valid.
Proponents of the bills say all they’re trying to do is ensure election integrity.
That’s why the Senate, also on a party-line vote on Monday, gave $1 million to Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich he can use to investigate election fraud.
Several Senate Democrats, however, said they see something nefarious in the motives.
They said the measures, taken together and separately, have a disparate effect on the ability of minorities to vote, as they may not have a driver’s license and the same access to copy machines and printers to make copies of required documents.
“These are voter suppression bills,†said Sen. Sally Ann Gonzales, D-ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.
That brought an angry reaction from Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, R-Scottsdale, who said that amounts to saying Republicans are racists.
She said the new forms of ID don’t disenfranchise anyone, and that nothing in the legislation is crafted to apply solely to one group.
But Sen. Kirsten Engel, D-ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, said that misstates the situation — and federal law. She pointed out that courts have voided other such laws if they have a disproportionate impact on minorities.
Gonzales said the reason for the measures is that Republicans fear the fact that by 2030, Hispanics will be the majority in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.
Senate Minority Leader Rebecca Rios, D-Phoenix, agreed, saying, “Sometimes the truth hurts.â€
But Mesnard, who proposed changing the requirements for mail-in voting, said he sees nothing wrong with providing extra security to ensure that the votes received come from the people who were supposed to get the ballots.
Still, Mesnard said he will make some changes when the bill now goes to the House, to ease some of those requirements.
Gowan, meanwhile, said his bill to on early balloting is designed to help out county recorders.
He said having early ballots show up at the last minute by mail means recorders are busy processing those when they should be dealing with the polling places on Election Day “so we can have an election that is counted soon instead of weeks like we’ve been seeing.â€
Bowie, the Tempe Democrat, said that doesn’t answer the other half of the question: Why delay having those ballots going out to voters in the first place?
Gowan defended the idea, saying it should still give people enough time to make a decision, even with the new earlier deadline to drop it in the mail.
“I presume most people are going to make that decision in two weeks,†he said. “I’m sure that people would prepare themselves in anticipation of that early ballot coming.â€
Sen. Ruben Navarrete, D-Phoenix, was unconvinced. “It really hurts too many ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ns who are relying on this system,†he said.
19 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ institutions you'll never see again
Magic Carpet Golf

Magic Carpet Golf, which stood for 40 years on East Speedway, closed in 2008 — swallowed up by a neighboring car dealership.
The rebar-and-concrete characters were scattered throughout the city after a preservation effort by State Rep. Steve Farley, D-ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and artist Charles Spillar
The Poo Monkey, plus palm tree, are now stationed at a private residence.
See more of the statues and their locations .
Justin's WaterWorld

Justin's WaterWorld, at 3551 S. San Joaquin Road, had slides (the Cannonball, Blue Twisters!) and pools. It closed in 2007.
Adding a twist of her own, Alicia Champlin, 13, catches some air at the end of Blue Twister, one of the many slide rides.Ìý
Zachary's Pizza

Zachary’s Pizza,ÌýÌý1028 E. Sixth St.,Ìýclosed July 29, 2012Ìýending a 24-year run as one of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s most enduring pizza restaurants.
Read more about it .
The Polar Bar

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s Polar Bar, opened in the 50s on Speedway between Country Club and Alvernon, was started by Derald Fulton who later opened ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s legendary fast-food chain Lucky Wishbone. It had an extensive menu with a dining area and car hop service.
That's a ganga!

Austin Agron, the owner of Bargain Center Furniture gained notoriety by dropping lamps and yelling, "Hey, neighbor, that's a ganga!" on TV commercials.Ìý
From an ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ story published in February, 1983: "I've found the personal touch is important in doing commercials," says Austin Agron, who uses the slogan "It's a ganga!" to attract customers to Bargain Center Furniture, 4949 E. 22nd St. "People walk into my store and see me — the guy from the commercial. It gives them a warm feeling, and that's good for business."
A “ganga†is the Spanish word for “bargain†or “windfall.â€
Agron began using the word at the suggestion of a local disc jockey who was doing a remote broadcast from Agron’'s furniture store.
“In Spanish, ‘ganga’ means ‘bargain.’ And since that’s the name of my furniture store, it’s the perfect trademark,â€
Bargain Center Furniture closed in 2005 though theÌýÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Furniture Mart that opened in its place was also owned by the Agron family.
Gordo's Mexicateria

Gordo's Mexicateria, located on Broadway for about 40 years, was known for its commercials in which owner Diego A. Valenzuela asked, ""Do you like chimichangas? I mean, do you r-r-r-really like chimichangas?" Valenzuela died in 2003 at age 69.
The Haunted Bookshop

Kids enjoy their favorite books at the Haunted Bookshop, 7211 N. Northern Ave., in June, 1980.Ìý
The beloved northwest bookstore closed in May 1997. Here's what we wrote at the time:
They browsed through business books, rifled the reference section - and bought almost everything that wasn't nailed down.
The Haunted Bookshop, unable to compete with two nearby chain superstores, is now Tohono Chul history. But last Saturday, the beloved independent store's last day of business, people came for a last look - and a memento or two.
"You wouldn't believe what people want," said clerk Kim Messier, who took time out from ringing up 60-percent-off sales to chat.
In addition to buying books, folks also carted off step stools, card racks, store displays, framed prints and patio furniture - as well as the store's six-car model train.
The locomotive and cars - which used to whiz around a track mounted high above customers' heads - attracted a number of impassioned bids, Messier said.
"People just want a piece of the bookstore," she added, looking around the increasingly empty, increasingly ghostly space. "We were an institution."
Fruit-Land Market

Fruit-Land Market stood at Speedway and Sixth Avenue.
Marshall Kgun

Burt Oien, KGUN-TV's first Marshall KGUN, entertains the kids in the late 1950s. The "Marshal Kgun" kiddie show ended in the late '60s.
The Big A

It was in the name of progress, but that didn't make it any easier. A longtime campus favorite, the Big A Restaurant, at 1818 E. Speedway, was being forced to move to make way for the Speedway widening project. Rosemary Seery, shown here on April 10, 1989, and her husband had signed a lease to move their restaurant down the street to 2033 E. Speedway. Although all the memorabilia and even the coaches' corner would make the move, many were concerned the Big A would never be the hangout it had been since 1961. The Big A closed in 1999.
Levy's Department store

Customers wait for the doors to open for the first time at the Levy's store at El Con Mall on Sept. 15, 1969. The building was razed in 2012 and a Walmart was built in its place.
The Hidden Valley Inn

The Hidden Valley Inn, shown here in 1982, on Sabino Highway closed in 2006. It had been rebuilt after a fire in in 1995. It was converted into office space.
El Conquistador Hotel

El Conquistador Hotel opened Nov. 22, 1928, and was demolished in 1967 to make room for expansions to the El Con Mall.
George L. Mountainlion

The original resident/mascot mountain lion of the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥-Sonora Desert Museum, George L. Mountainlion (photographed here in 1958) was famous for being incredibly friendly and a Ìý
Austin's Old Fashioned Ice Cream

Austin's Old Fashioned Ice Cream, opened in 1959, was known for pickle ice cream, amazing shakes and diner fare. The restaurant closed in its original location onÌýBroadway just west of Country ClubÌýin 2010 and didn't survive much longer in a new location. RIP Austin's.
Steinfeld's department store

On July 23, 1974, the 69-year-old Steinfeld's, at the corner of Stone Avenue and Pennington Street, was demolished. In its place, the new 16-story ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Bank Plaza office building would be constructed.Ìý
Professional baseball

Major League Baseball's spring training abandoned ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, as have multiple minor and independent league baseball teams.Ìý
El Parador

El Parador Restaurant, a longtime tropically-themed Mexican restaurant, closed in 2013, ending a 40-year run on East Broadway.
Drive-Ins

The DeAnza Drive-In at 22nd and Alvernon, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s last drive-in theater, closed in 2009.