A group of Arizonans filed a petition Tuesday to recall the state’s Senate President Russell Pearce (R), who authored the state’s controversial immigration law and has also dabbled in tentherism and birtherism.
Citizens For A Better Arizona, which describes itself as a “coalition of concerned citizens committed to improving the quality of life of all Arizonans,” filed a petition with the Secretary of State Tuesday, saying they have 18,315 voter signatures supporting a recall of Pearce. The requirement is 7,756 signatures.
Pearce is perhaps best known for sponsoring the state’s controversial immigration law, which was signed by Gov. Jan Brewer (R) last year. But he’s also pushed legislation to let the state nullify federal laws at will, takes credit for coming up with the idea to detain illegal immigrants in tent cities, used infamously by Sheriff Joe Arpaio, and once joked that “the best thing about [the immigration law] is that Obama may not be visiting Arizona because we actually require papers now.”
CFBA has some other gripes with Pearce too. From the site:
Four Reasons to Recall and Remove Russell Pearce1. Voted to terminate health care for seniors, struggling families and people with a disability.
2. Opposes the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
3. Voted to require American citizens show a Government ID for emergency care.
4. Opposes access to public education for all Arizona children.
The signatures still need to be verified before a special election is called, to make sure there are no duplicates and all those who signed live in the correct district. According to the Associated Press, this could take until August. The election would then be held in either November or March.
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