EVERY Voter a
C.E.O.
The process is easy. Simply look around as you go through the voting process, then record your responses to a few simple questions, and press send!
Use the FREE web-based app for short surveys sharing YOUR observations/experiences in going through the voting process:
• Observing the Pre-Election Environment
• Observing In-Person Early Voting (October 9-November 4) or on Election Day (November 5)
• Reporting a Serious Incident of Election Process
• Election Reform Survey
The Citizen Election Observer (C.E.O.) program is the brainchild of international election expert Tim Meisburger, as a high-visibility campaign demonstrating election transparency by the public.
Especially if you are unable to work as a poll worker or party’s poll observer, you can still help protect election integrity by serving as a “Citizen Observer” BEFORE the election and when voting with a MAIL-IN BALLOT, or IN-PERSON during Early Voting or on Election Day.
The data we collect will be added to that provided by others who are “watching”, used to assess the quality of the 2024 General Election, and to make recommendations for reform. Personal information is confidential.
Envision hundreds wearing a C.E.O. badge and lanyard on Election Day! Creates a “wow” everywhere seen. You’re taking an action step by using the app, and encouraging others to do so too.
Includes 2-Sided, Full Color 4x6” Nonpartisan Badge and Navy-Blue Lanyard
$5 EACH (includes tax)
Arrange for pick up of your order or delivery (for shipping, $1 extra).
SPECIAL: 5 for $20 (plus any shipping)
WHY PARTICIPATE?
• Election Integrity is a #1 issue - it gives YOU, the grassroots, something effective to do.
• You are not alone as a Citizen Election Observer. Like-minded patriots are responding.
• Demonstrates to others that it’s easy to jump in.
• Creates visibility at polls showing that citizens are engaged and watching - a deterrent to fraud!
• Advocates the MISSION for free and fair elections, and shares how to participate, which hugely impacts the numbers involved in the overall campaign.
• NOTE: Although the badge is nonpartisan, it is for voters to wear, NOT poll workers or observers.
LEARN MORE FOR MORE INFORMATION about C.E.O. and to access the FREE SURVEY APP: Go to ElectionObserver.us/citizen
Even though you have a Voter ID card and/or you’ve checked your voter status at BeBallotReady.vote (similar website for each county), this campaign is DIFFERENT. It is recommended to update your signature EVERY TWO YEARS.
Every time your signature is attached to an election-related function, that signature is placed in your VOTER FILE. When the County Elections Department, Maricopa for example, has their Signature Verifiers (SVs) compare the incoming affidavit green envelope with a mail-in ballot, Level 1 SVs see only the last 3 signatures and do not have a magnification feature (as of July 2024). If the signature cannot be reasonably matched, it goes to Level 2 SVs who have the entire File. If it still cannot be clearly matched, it goes to “Curing” where they will endeavor to reach you, the voter, to confirm your identity.
WHY UPDATE?
• Online signatures such as ServiceArizona.com, appear fat and squished. UNACCEPTABLE
• Signing on an electronic pad such as at Motor Vehicle Department, the latest Driver’s Licenses have the signature 1/3 of the previous size, which was already small. Maricopa Level 1 cannot “see” these. UNACCEPTABLE
• At the Vote Centers, signing the upright electronic screen of an eSitebook is awkward.
UNACCEPTABLE
• Provide an updated, current signature for your Voter File on a PAPER registration form.
ACCURATE
• Some voters have a paper registration form buried decades ago. Age and health are now reflected in providing an updated signature. ACCURATE
• Any difficult-to-match signatures in the File now give way to the updated paper signature. ACCURATE
• Level 1 signature verification process is a quicker path for your ballot, on to processing, and then tabulation. FASTER
• There’s discussion of legislation requiring signature verification only with the most recent voter registration. Now an updated signature will already be in the “top” 3 of your File. READY
WHAT TO DO
1. Secure a PAPER voter registration form from any of these sources:
• Ask a political Party rep you know, or go to its website
• At a voter registration table at an event or public place
• Ask your pastor if VOTE YOUR VALUES can help provide a nonpartisan registration table
• Sometimes public libraries have registration forms
• In person at your County Recorder’s office
• Download a form from https://bit.ly/ AZVoterRegForm (you can complete it as a fillable pdf online first, before printing to sign it)
2. Complete the form.
• Fill out the mandatory, red-shaded boxes and be sure to answer box #22’s two questions, sign, and date it. To vote a “full ballot” (state and local; of course you want to!), complete one of boxes #9, #10, or #11.
• We RECOMMEND optional blue-shaded boxes #1 (“No” to mail-in list to instead go in person to the polls is the safest path for your ballet, going from your hand directly into the tabulator on election day, November 5); #14 select a party affiliation; #15 telephone number and #21 email in case Elections needs to reach you quickly with a question about your ballot. Emails are protected and not given to anyone outside of designated Elections administrators.
• The signature must be original. Provide unfolded to Vote Your Values designated leader to hand-deliver OR you can deliver directly to your County Recorder in person; OR fold, seal, and mail to the Recorder’s office.
Something YOU can do for election integrity: Register to vote on a paper form. Every vote counts.
VOTER REGISTRATION
VOTE YOUR VALUES
BE INFORMED. What MATTERS MOST to YOU?
We are deluged with issues and government policies that run counter to our personal, foundational core of what we believe and why. For most, our beliefs our grounded in Biblical principles that provided the framework for our unique and proven-to-be exceptional country. Isaiah 33:22 is the basis for our three branches of government: Judicial, Legislative, Executive. Our nation’s Founding Fathers considered Jeremiah 17:9, that God is perfect but for human government, a separation of powers was established lest there be tyranny, dictators, and punitive monarchies (they were suffering under King George III).
INFORMED citizens make good choices. High-stakes issues MOTIVATE citizens to cast their vote. What is most important to YOU that you MUST VOTE this election for those who most line up with your values?
VOTE YOUR VALUES is an ad hoc group of volunteers who provide voter education, registration materials and training, with an emphasis on nonpartisan programs among people of faith (FREE packet for church leadership). The Issues card has been designed specifically to be nonpartisan with attorney review and approval to be used at places of worship in five states (so far). Important issues are reflected by ideology, rather than lumping all into one party or the other. We encourage voters to look at each party’s platform to see which one best supports your values. That’s where you’ll then find candidates who believe like you do to protect the American way of life and implement solutions where needed.
We’ve seen a shift among political parties. What would have been considered “liberal” is more accurately now reflected among those professing “progressive” policies, closer to socialism. Thankfully, movies are still rated G, PG-13, and R, but if parents want that same rating system applied to children’s literature in schools, they are called book-burners. Especially hard to understand, always defined in America as infanticide is now labeled “perinatal - the age of viability” where in California law, a newborn can be killed prior to age Day 28. Vote wisely. Ann Niemann, Editor
VOTE IN PERSON, NOT MAIL-IN IF POSSIBLE
ONE PERSON, ONE VOTE.
Whatever you do this election season, whatever you hear about polls one way or another, please do cast your one vote. A conservative Arizona U.S. Congressman won his election by 27 votes; that’s super close. Another conservative in 2022, lost his seat by 276 votes; that’s a travesty.
CHOOSE THE FASTEST WAY TO GET YOUR BALLOT COUNTED.
The safest path for YOUR ballot is from your hand directly into the tabulator IN PERSON ON ELECTION DAY, November 5.
This is the shortest “Ballot Chain of Custody” in moving the ballot through the steps to be counted. Like evidence in a court case, the fewer the hands or touches the better, to ensure it is processed correctly.
Even though we have issues with machine-counting, it is better than risking six or more transfers of your ballot without bipartisan poll workers and/or observers. In 2022, we had problems at Maricopa County Vote Centers; no one wants a repeat this year. Each County is required to have a Contingency/Emergency Plan in place, with a copy sent to the Secretary of State. Despite various triggers happening, elements were not fully implemented in the last cycle. For 2024, voter education and awareness of what to do, and the readiness to quickly respond will help mitigate these challenges.
DO NOT USE MAIL-IN BALLOTS – WHY NOT?
Ahh, there are a lot of national voices recommending conflicting strategies for this year’s upcoming General Election such as to send in your completed mail-in ballot as soon as possible; or even to go from in-person voting back to mail-in (please don’t). What’s a voter to do?
Let’s go with the math. Experts show that mail-in ballots are a vulnerability, a weak place in the election process where things can go awry. In Maricopa County, there are roughly 2.42 million registered voters. As of July 2024, 78% with almost 1.9M are on AEVL (Active Early Voting List) to automatically receive a ballot in
the mail. For over 200 years, Americans voted in their neighborhoods (called “precincts”), where everyone was generally known to each other, who was eligible and who was not. The COVID-19 closures in 2020 heralded an unprecedented shift to mail-in ballots. While voters enjoy the convenience of voting from their home, we must not sacrifice election integrity.
Every mail-in packet contains a “live” ballot. Consider the value of that ballot in electing candidates that align with YOUR values, with what’s most important to you. That one, all-important vote that must be guarded, protected, to be counted quickly and accurately. Here are key concerns:
• The sheer volume of paper for pre-election mailing, followed by outer and inner envelopes, ballot, and instructions is let’s say just 5 sheets per mail-in voter (a fraction of what the total is), that calculates to 780 trees for Maricopa County alone. Who is behind in filing paperwork at home? Election materials have a lot of safeguards built into the system, but…you get the point. It’s a weakness. For the General 2022, over 601,000 “live” mail-in ballots were unaccounted for.
• While we protect the anonymity of for whom and what a voter votes, mail-in ballots create anonymity of the voter. Neighbors remember that John died last summer to remove him from the rolls, and that Jane is now 18 years old and celebrated she can vote for the first time. “Clean” voter rolls are challenging to stay that way with the volume of move-ins and outs (just one of many categories to monitor). Analysis demonstrates that thousands of records are ineligible.
• When the anonymous voter is not standing in person in front of the poll worker with photo identification, that means signature verification must be utilized. But…
- Signatures from ServiceArizona.com, Motor Vehicle Department’s electronic pad, and other electronic types used for election-related documents are NOT as good as a signature on paper.
- Signatures are not up-to-date in the individual’s file to reflect the age and health of voters to be current and accurate.
- The number of mail-in packets that are undeliverable or are marked “Return to Sender” shows that voter rolls are not current at the time of mailing.
- Statistical analysis shows (as well as the full forensic audit in Pennsylvania after the 2020 General Election) an insertion of ineligible voters who voted.
- Maricopa County Elections says the numbers are too high to have scanning equipment for the signed, green affidavit envelopes in-house. Scanning is outsourced causing the Ballot Chain of Custody to not have adequate bipartisan workers and bipartisan observers for every step.
W HATEVER THE CHALLENGES, DON’T BE DISCOURAGED. W E MUST VOTE. IT MATTERS!
WHAT TO DO?
VOTE IN PERSON ON ELECTION DAY
1. If possible, vote IN PERSON on the actual day the tabulators are on: Tuesday, November 5 General Election. Convenience is NOT worth sacrificing election integrity/validity.
a. Curbside Voting is available at Vote Centers for those unable to stand in line; ring the doorbell provided and a bipartisan team will help with voting.
b. Accessible Voting is available at Vote Centers to accommodate disabilities or needing assistance. Some privacy booths have seating.
c. “Special “Election Boards are available for those unable to leave their residence, living facility, hospital, etc. Call 602-506-1511 to request.
d. Reserve mail-in ballots for those unable to physically go to the polls, military and citizens abroad.
e. You can remove yourself from the mail-in list, but if you know you’ll miss an election, you can still request a one-time mail-in ballot be sent to your home or where you’ll be.
2. Reducing the # of mail-in ballots means less labor required for signature verification, curing, and processing. REDUCES COST & SPEEDS UP COUNTING.
3. Reducing the # of mail-in ballots REDUCES the role of Runbeck, as a third-party, outside service.
4. Too many voters use the mail-in ballot as a “sample” to fill in and take into the privacy booth at a Vote Center. If you’re NOT on the mail-in list, Elections will mail YOU a “sample”. These are also available at BeBallotReady.vote. ALTERNATIVES AVAILABLE.
5. Reminder that going in person during Early Voting at the Vote Centers, means getting either a ballot OR a “replacement ballot” for a mail-in ballot, completing it, and then…having it folded and put in a white envelope JUST AS IF it is a mail-in. NO ADVANTAGE. VOTE ON ELECTION DAY ONLY.
6. Regardless of how you vote (mail-in or in person), UPDATE YOUR SIGNATURE on a PAPER voter registration form every two years for your Voter File. ENSURES ACCURACY & SPEEDS UP PROCESSING.
NAVIGATING THE 2024
BE READY.
START
Get a “Sample” Ballot to Mark Choices in Advance
It’s a LONG ballot this year!! Two (2) ballots per voter, fronts and backs.
Go to BeBallotReady.vote to check voter registration status, download a SAMPLE, select voting location and track your ballot.
If you’re NOT on the Mail-In Ballot List, you will receive a SAMPLE in the mail from County Elections.
BE ENGAGED.
VOTE!
FASTEST path for your ballot is in person voting ONLY on ELECTION DAY Tuesday, November 5. The ONLY DAY the tabulator is turned on!
Your ballot is counted at the Vote Center.
1
Election Day
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
6am-7pm at ANY Vote Center
(If you are in line before 7pm, you will be able to vote.)
2
BE INFORMED.
Understand the Ballot
Candidates, Judges, Propositions, Bonds, Arizona Constitution Amendments
• Research, and make your voting decisions, using trusted sources, BEFORE going to the polls.
• Take your “notes” on paper or on your phone, or sample ballot with you into the privacy booth to vote.
• VOTE YOUR VALUES.
3
Arrive at Vote Center
• Maricopa County voters anywhere in the County. For a full list of Voter Center locations, opening dates, and hours of operation, go to: https://bit.ly/WhereToVote2024.
• Bring water. Wear layers in case too cool inside. Bring completed sample ballot to quickly complete the 2 ballots provided, fronts and backs. Plan on 15-25 minutes after check-in.
• You can bring your phone for notes but NO photography or recording of and inside 75' from entrance.
Take a Look at Write-In & Withdrawn Candidates Sign
Early In Person Voting
EARLY VOTING: October 9-November 4, 2024
• Tabulation machines are NOT turned on until Election Day.
• Voting early at the Vote Centers means the ballot you complete is folded into a white, carrier envelope and signed by the voter.
• This is the SAME as dropping off an absentee/ mail-in ballot in the green envelope.
Obstacles?
Do NOT let radio, TV, other sources with a megaphone frighten you! These are tactics to keep voters from casting their vote. Be smart and alert, but VOTE! Let nothing—neither heat, nor rain, nor dust storm, nor traffic jams, nor threats to body or property, nor reports of terrorism—keep you from having YOUR ballot counted!
Curing = Fixing a Ballot so it Can be Counted
For example, your signature is not matching what’s in your Voter File, or the signature is MISSING on the mail-in ballot’s green envelope. An Elections worker needs to reach you quickly to get the matter resolved so that your ballot can be counted.
Provisional Ballot
DO VOTE a provisional ballot, if offered. Reasons include:
• May not be registered
• May not be eligible
• Did not provide valid identification
Posted at each Vote Center. Available at https://bit.ly/WriteInWithdrawn Don’t waste your vote on ineligible candidates. No “Mickie Mouse” protest votes! ONLY OFFICIAL candidates are counted, who successfully completed their nomination 40 days in advance of Election Day.
Check in at Vote Center
Every voter is required to show proof of identity when voting in person. You need a valid government issued ID that includes your name, photo, and the address where you are registered to vote (for example, AZ driver’s license, tribal ID, or naturalization). If that ID does not match your voter record, you need two forms of ID (per A.R.S. § 16-579(A)).
Find the full list at GetID.Maricopa.Vote.
• May have already voted Elections staff will research the voter’s eligibility and if it can be confirmed, the ballot will be counted. For a conditional provisional ballot, there are five business days after election to be resolved. Details at https://bit.ly/ ProvBallot
For questions or if you have lost the copy, call the STAR Center.
GENERAL ELECTION
Maricopa County STAR Center - Elections HELP
Monday-Friday 8am-5pm at 602-506-1511 or voterinfo@risc.maricopa.gov
DETOUR
Absentee/ Mail-In Ballots
VERY important: Place YOUR completed ballot in YOUR green envelope; they are coded to stay together! Sign the green envelope ONLY inside the designated box. Do NOT sign for your spouse.
TIP: Include a phone number to reach you quickly, if needed.
If at all possible, do NOT mail absentee/mail-in ballots. Place in dropbox at ANY Vote Center BY OCTOBER 29 to allow time for signature verification and processing. Please DO NOT RETURN it on Election Day (overwhelms the system).
DETOUR
Need NEW Ballot?
If you make a mistake voting or ballot is damaged, ask for a “replacement” ballot at ANY Vote Center OR to request a replacement ballot in the the mail, call the Star Center or email EVreq@risc.maricopa.gov no later than seven business days before the election.
REVIEW
Check that your ballot is complete, with no smears, spills, tears.
COMPLETING YOUR BALLOT
• Blue or black ink only
• Fill in oval inside lines.
• Do NOT use and Do NOT use
For write-in candidate, include name and fill in oval:
Most items are for your ONE choice:
Note a few EXCEPTIONS, which ask for a specific number of votes:
YOUR VOTE MATTERS!
HELPING HAND
ACCESSIBLE VOTING: There is at least one station in every Vote Center where the voter can be seated in a privacy booth. Also, there is at least one station equipped for individuals with disabilities associated with vision (large print, braille), hearing, mobility, as well as cognitive disabilities.
CURBSIDE VOTING: If unable to vote in person due to age and/or health to stand in line, in front of each Maricopa County Vote Center is a Curbside Voting DOORBELL that rings inside to have a ballot brought to your vehicle to complete there.
SPECIAL ELECTIONS BOARD: If unable to go to in person, request the STAR Center to have a ballot brought to you, whether at home, in a care facility, or in the hospital when you can have visitors. PLAN AHEAD as possible to get your ballot during Early Voting.
REMINDERS: It is illegal to receive money or anything of value for completing a voter registration or for casting your vote. That means a mail-in ballot CANNOT be exchanged for money, groceries, vouchers, etc. Ballot harvesting is illegal in Arizona; you can bring for your household.
DETOUR
ADJUDICATION: When the tabulator cannot read a ballot, it is ejected and goes to a bipartisan Adjudication team to assess what the INTENT of the voter was. All ballots with write-ins (official candidates or protest votes), ovals not filled in enough or spilling outside the lines, using the forbidden “x” or check mark for the ovals, and any extraneous marks (especially on the timing marks’ black bars) are sent to be reviewed.
DUPLICATION: Any damaged ballot that cannot be inserted into a tabulator, is sent to a bipartisan Duplication team to recreate the voter’s ballot digitally, to then print it to go into a tabulator.
OVERVOTE: If you accidentally mark more ovals than what is allowed, it is considered an “overvote.” No vote will count for that contest, but all other votes will count. Ask for a replacement ballot.
UNDERVOTE: If you did not vote for a given office or issue or marked less ovals than allowed, this is considered an “undervote.” In this instance, only the marked ovals are counted.
TIP: If not sure how to vote, leave blank. Don’t guess. Refer to full text of propositions posted in the Vote Center, printed on the sample ballot, and provided with all mailed early ballots. Know before you go.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
As a voter, you definitely want to be INFORMED to decide how YOU want to vote on these propositions regarding laws (most of these put on the ballot by our state legislators), policies, bonds, overrides, and VERY importantly the proposed AMENDMENTS to the Arizona
PROP 133
Constitution. There are so many for the 2024 General Election, that each voter will have two ballots.
Be sure and BE READY with your sample filled in for the fronts and backs of the two ballots, to take into the privacy voting booth. Having trusted sources for details about the “Props” helps a lot! [Voting on the
REQUIRE PARTISAN PRIMARIES AMENDMENT
This measure will amend the Arizona Constitution to require partisan primary elections for partisan offices. Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians would each continue to have their own primary to elect their own candidates for the November ballot. This is a response to the Make Elections Fair Act, which would turn primaries into nonpartisan contests.
PROP 134
SIGNATURE DISTRIBUTION REQUIREMENT FOR INITIATIVES AMENDMENT
This measure will require signatures from voters in each Legislative District in Arizona, not just the largest populated areas, to put an initiative on the ballot that changes state statutes or constitutional amendments. Gives a voice to our rural counties!
PROP 135
EMERGENCY DECLARATIONS AMENDMENT
Amendment to the Arizona Constitution “granting” the governor emergency powers in 30-day increments, which the state legislature can indefinitely extend. This is meant as a protection against overreach, but RATHER THAN an amendment, pass legislation.
PROP 136
AZ LEGAL CHALLENGES TO CONSTITUTIONALITY OF INITIATIVES AMENDMENT
This would amend the Arizona Constitution to allow legal challenges regarding the constitutionality of proposed initiatives before they go to the ballot. Would save time, money, and voter confusion.
Prop 311
CRIMINAL CONVICTION FEE FOR FIRST RESPONDER DEATH FINANCIAL BENEFIT
$20 criminal conviction fee to fund families of first responders killed in the line of duty by a criminal act. Vague details, government controllled. Not clear if enough funds to cover $250,000 per incident. Other benefits already exist.
Prop 312
PROPERTY TAX REFUND FOR NON-ENFORCEMENT OF PUBLIC NUISANCE LAWS MEASURE
Property tax refund in cases where the city or locality in which the property is located does not enforce laws and ordinances to protect its safety, as well as employees and customers, to ensure business is not disrupted (due to public drug use, illegal activities).
Prop 313 LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR TRAFFICKING OF A CHILD
Life imprisonment without parole if found guilty of a Class 2 felony for sex trafficking of a child.
on YOUR Ballot
retention of judges is also on this ballot. Reach out to trusted sources; better to leave blank than to guess.]
Take a look below for a quick overview of each item, suggested vote to cast, and a why. The outcome of each proposition will affect the lives of you, your family, and business, impacting all of Arizona. Vote wisely.
PROP 137
END TERM LIMITS AND RETENTION ELECTIONS FOR AZ SUPREME COURT JUSTICES AND SUPERIOR COURT JUDGES AMENDMENT
Gives judges lifetime appointments and removes them from the ballot. RATHER THAN an amendment, voters should have the right to remove “bad” judges.
PROP 138
WAGES FOR TIPPED WORKERS AMENDMENT
Allows employers to decrease the wages of tipped workers up to 25% per hour less than minimum wage. This was meant to help small businesses survive, BUT there is CONCERN it could be used to undercut employees’ earnings. AZ minimum wage is $14.35.
PROP 139
RIGHT TO ABORTION INITIATIVE FOR AMENDMENT
Amends the Arizona Constitution to allow abortions even up to birth. Removes parental consent. Eliminates medical doctor requirements. Removes most safety standards at abortion clinics. Arizona currently has ban after 15 weeks, that’s too much. Don’t add to it.
PROP 140
SINGLE PRIMARY FOR ALL CANDIDATES AND EVERYONE VOTES
Eliminates partisan primaries; replaces with “rank choice voting” where all candidates are on one ballot and a FORMULA calculates who advances to the general election instead of majority vote. Don’t California OUR Arizona!
Prop 314
IMMIGRATION & BORDER LAW ENFORCEMENT MEASURE
Noncitizens shall only enter the state at ports of entry or can be arrested, state judges can deport. Death from sale of Fentanyl would be a Class 2 felony.
Prop 315
LEGISLATIVE RATIFICATION OF STATE AGENCY RULES THAT INCREASE REGULATORY COSTS
Proposed rules on regulatory costs over $500,000 over 5 years will need to be ratified by the legislature.
Prop 479
MARICOPA COUNTY TRANSPORTATION SALES TAX
The continuation of the half-cent sales tax in Maricopa County to fund transportation. Includes the expansion of the light rail and too much “pork” (unrelated extra spending, often for special interests) in the bill.
10 REASONS W HY ELECTRIC CARS STILL SUCK
By Gerhard Horne, Senior Editor, CarBuzz
Electric cars and their place in the automotive industry is one of the hottest topics of our times. As a planet, we’re emerging from more than 100 years of burning gasoline, which has worked wonders for us so far.
Without fossil fuels and natural gas, the Second Industrial Revolution would not have happened, and we’d still be stuck with coal-powered everything. The gas-powered vehicle will go down in history as one of the most important inventions the world has ever seen. Still, oil is finite, and the vast majority of scientists agree that we need to cut down on greenhouse gases and lower our carbon emissions.
That’s where the electric vehicle comes in. As a concept, electric cars are a great idea. They don’t need a complex internal combustion engine (“ICE”), have fewer running parts, and emit no greenhouse gas whatsoever. But that’s just the concept.
Just like an ICE vehicle has its downsides, there are multiple downsides of electric cars. With that in mind, let’s look at 10 reasons why electric cars are bad, starting with the most obvious reasons and working our way up to more complex and subjective arguments.
RANGE ANXIETY
The average range of an electric vehicle in the USA is nearly 300 miles. To get your hands on a vehicle with more than 500 miles of range, you’ll need to spend more than $100k on a Lucid Air Grand Touring.
Whether 100 degrees or sub-zero, gasoline-powered cars will perform roughly the same if kept in optimal condition. The same can’t be said of electric vehicles. A Nissan Leaf has a basic air-cooling system, while the Porsche Taycan has a complete thermal management system that can cope with hot and cold. But a Leaf is $30k, and a Taycan is a six-figure car.
CHARGING PROBLEMS
While fast chargers will top a modern EV up in 30 minutes or less, you lose out on some of the leading EV benefits, like cheaper electricity rates during off-peak hours. You also do more damage to the car’s battery by only using quick charging, and the car will never be charged to the complete 100%. If you’ve ever wondered why manufacturers quote charging times from 20%-80%, that’s the main reason.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT LIE
The zero-emission lie is likely the main reason why EVs are bad. The zero tailpipe emissions claim is valid, but you must also account for the other damage an electric vehicle does. An electric car uses regular tires, and tires are a big polluter, especially for heavy cars that wear out their rubber more quickly.
Most of America’s electricity comes from natural gas, nuclear, and coal. An EV’s environmental credentials mean nothing when you still have to burn coal to run it. Several studies have shown that the EV production process emits more greenhouse gas than an equivalent ICE car
ISSUE:
A manufacturer requires lithium, nickel, cobalt, and several other metals to make EV batteries. Mining is a filthy and dangerous business. You also need these metals to build charging stations. The worst of the lot is cobalt, which uses [African] child labor, and there’s no way that can be justified.
THE BURNING ISSUE
EVs are not a bigger fire risk than gasoline-powered cars. It has been disproved many times over, even if you factor in the smaller pool of electric vehicles.
The main issue is fighting an EV fire. The known and readily available methods for fighting fire don’t work. You literally have to drown an EV to stop it from burning, and even that doesn’t always work. EVs burn so fiercely because of thermal runaway. One cell catches fire, and then there’s no stopping the blazes until the entire thing burns out. The most basic method for fighting fire is to cut oxygen, but since a car’s battery is a self-sufficient source of oxygen, it doesn’t work.
ELECTRICITY TAXES
The government currently takes a few cents in tax for every gallon of fuel you buy. That money is used for the upkeep of roads and infrastructure. Where will that money come from if several states get their way and ban ICE outright?
The government will have no choice but to implement the same user pays model, so it will raise electricity taxes. An even more relevant question is whether this model will be applied at charging stations, through an annual electric vehicle tax, or home usage.
It’s just one of those potential drawbacks and unintended consequences. In the future, it may be one of the main arguments against electric cars.
PRICE AND LONGEVITY
The average price of a new EV is currently around $64,000. The average purchase price of a new car (all cars, including electric vehicles) is $48,000.
All EVs lose value rapidly, and you have to factor that into the total cost of a car. Electric vehicles are also built to be expendable due to limited battery life. This is one of the future disadvantages of electric vehicles on the environment. One thing is for sure. Once the batteries are gone, electric vehicles are no longer economical to fix. To us, this is another big reason why electric cars are bad. An electric vehicle with a dead battery is worthless. It will be cheaper to buy a new car, putting even more strain on the environment.
INFRASTRUCTURE WOES
In high-density areas, supercharger stations are often flooded during peak hours. If you own a gas-powered car, you’re in and out within minutes. But in a best-case scenario, you’ll spend 15 minutes at a charging station. We think 30 minutes is more accurate, as not all stations can access a car’s full charging potential.
STAGNATION
have dealt them. This may lead to stagnation and a lack of innovation.
Just think of all the unique powertrain options we’re going to lose. The rotary engine is already gone, and the W layout is nearing its end. Mid-engine cars will eventually disappear, as will mechanical four-wheeldrive systems.
PERFORMANCE PROBLEMS
Most electric vehicles are one-trick ponies. Thanks to that well-known instant torque delivery, EVs are stupid fast in a straight line. But going from 0-60 mph in two seconds gets old quite quickly. If anything, we enjoy the acceleration from 50-70 mph even more.
The primary issue is weight.
EV OWNERS
Preaching that EVs are the only solution is narrowminded because it doesn’t take reasons 1 to 9 into account. We believe the future should be a mix of EV and combustion, if only to get owners from both sides to stop shouting at each other.
In short, being smug about your EV will only make your neighbor rev his supercharged V8 muscle car even harder, and rightly so. 4 5 6 7 8
Several manufacturers are still investing in combustion, hydrogen, and synthetic fuels. But these automakers are in short supply. For the most part, automakers have accepted the cards politicians
Delve further with Mr. Horne’s ENTIRE article. Witty and fact-filled.
BE WARE: 15-Minute Cities in Arizona
The “15-Minute City” is an urban design concept that aims to provide people with every necessity for daily life within a 15-minute walk, bike ride, or transit ride. Advocates of this concept claim that they create people-centric communities that provide more choice and access, help save the environment due to reduced carbon emissions, improve public health, and enhance “equity.”
In reality, 15-minute cities are a pipedream of central planning bureaucrats that rely on increasingly coercive measures to manipulate the way people live. These include car-free zones, limiting areas of travel, and punishing citizens for driving outside of any “permitted zones”. Put into practice, 15-minute cities will crush industry, create a surveillance state, impede travel freedom, reduce choice and opportunity, and harm vulnerable people.
As to who coined the term “15-Minute Cities”, that would be Carlos Morena, a French-Columbian professor and former member of Columbia’s M-19, an openly known communist group. Previously, the 1968 book, The Ideal Communist City, written by several Soviets from the University of Moscow, were proponents of “the range of a twenty-minute walk.” They aimed to dismantle the concept of private property and suburban life.
15-MINUTE CITIES RESTRICT TRAVEL, CHOICE, AND ACCESS
In 2020, the first official 15-minute city was implemented in Paris, France during the COVID lockdowns. Miles of permanent separate bike lanes built in an attempt to be a “100% cyclable” city. The goal is to “expel cars” and a “total ban on gas-powered cars by 2030.” Converting one of the most heavily used expressways into one big sidewalk, they failed to force Parisians to abandon their vehicles. Instead, the fewer roads available are choked with congestion as residents try to escape the city to access their jobs.
THE SOLUTION IS CHOICE & FREEDOM
The invention of the automobile changed everything about how people choose to live and organize communities with the mobility freedom to access the schools, healthcare facilities, and churches of their choice. These are complex problems, way outside the scope and expertise of centralized one-size-fits-all government planning.
THE TRUTH ABOUT VISION ZERO
Vision Zero implements road diets and traffic calming measures that reduce speeds, eliminate or narrow lane miles for cars, and create a “pedestrian scale” transportation network. These tactics delay emergency vehicles and make drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists less safe.
Despite the stated purpose to eliminate all traffic fatalities on our roadways, Vision Zero is an anti-data, anti-engineering, and anti-car agenda. They mask it with terms like “complete streets”, “safe systems”, “streetscaping”, “walkable communities,” transit-oriented development”, and many others.
VISION ZERO IS HERE IN ARIZONA
Cities including Phoenix, Prescott, Flagstaff, Tolleson, Scottsdale, Mesa, and Glendale have all received millions this year to fund Vision Zero projects to rip out and narrow roads, add bike and pedestrian paths, and subsidize transit projects.
Denver, Colorado adopted a Vision Zero plan in 2017 and in five years, traffic fatalities increased 33%. Los Angeles, California adopted theirs in 2015, but in 2021, they experienced a 20-year high in roadway fatalities.
Despite the diverse geography, varied local needs and unique problems, these billions of dollars in grants by the U.S. DOT all offer the SAME “SOLUTION”: fund projects that reduce driving in an effort to manufacture environments that facilitate only no car transit. That’s how you know it is an agenda being pushed, instead of community-based, rational transportation planning.
[Source: Excerpts from research by Arizona Free Enterprise Club and the AZ Liberty Network www.Azfree.org.]
City of Phoenix Plan Started long, long Ago
Ann Niemann, Editor
In 1979, Phoenix adopted the “Phoenix Concept Plan 2000”, which introduced the URBAN VILLAGE MODEL. The “model is based on the concept of Phoenix residents being able to LIVE, WORK, and PLAY all within the CONFINES of their respective villages.” Zoning in 2015 laid the groundwork.
Here’s a series of short videos to explain:
South Mountain where I live, and Central City to the north of us in the downtown corridor are the two villages selected for the rollout to widen bike and pedestrian lanes, but not mentioning it will remove, constrict car lanes. Light rail lines will be rezoned. Lucky us, we’re the start of what’s coming to you too.
VOTE YOUR VALUES
VOTE NO ON PROP 139 IT GOES TOO FAR
Prop 139 is NOT a bill to be passed into law. It is an AMENDMENT to the ARIZONA CONSTITUTION, which means it would be very hard to amend or remove it. That’s why your “NO” vote is critically important.
• It removes most safety standards at abortion clinics
• It eliminates the required medical doctor
• It leaves girls and women in the hands of unqualified providers
• It shuts out moms & dads when their minor daughter needs them most
• It allows for painful, lateterm abortion
WHAT HEALTH EXPERTS SAY ABOUT PROP. 139
Arizona’s healthcare professionals don’t always agree on the issue of abortion, but we all agree on the profound responsibility we have to put the health and safety of our patients first.
With abortion now legal in Arizona up to 15 weeks, we are perplexed and deeply concerned about a political initiative likely to be on the November ballot that creates a real danger to pregnant women seeking abortions.
We may be Pro-Life, we may be Pro-Choice, and we may take a position without one of those labels. We are divided on the issue of abortion, but we are united in this: THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF ALL PATIENTS MUST BE OUR TOP PRIORITY.
THEREFORE, THE UNDERSIGNED STAND OPPOSED TO THE ARIZONA ABORTION ACCESS ACT AND FURTHER DECLARE THAT:
• Making something legal does not make it safe.
• When considering any legislation that expands abortion, we must ask whether it also increases risks to women?
• The proposed constitutional amendment seeks to expand abortion without boundaries, without safety regulations, and without notifying women of the risks.
• Legal abortion clinics can be just as dangerous as illegal clinics - the amendment removes commonsense safety regulations for facilities performing abortions.
• It removes the requirement that a medical doctor be involved and - most importantly - allows anyone with a license issued by almost any healthcare agency to legally perform abortions, prescribe the abortion pill, or sign off on third trimester abortions.
• These changes will actively endanger women as abortions, especially those done in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, come with the risk of serious complications including hemorrhage, perforated uterus or bowel, sepsis, greater risk of premature delivery
in later pregnancies, possible infertility and prolonged grief
• Furthermore, taking the abortion pill without proper medical oversight can be dangerous for the woman, even deadly if she has an undetected ectopic pregnancy or lives remote from a facility where she can receive emergency surgery or a blood transfusion.
Finally, being a constitutional change, the discretion for the Legislature to enact measures ensuring the safety of medical procedures in the future is abridged.
KNOW WHAT YOU’RE VOTING ON. READ IT FOR YOURSELF. NO ON PROP 139.
For more information and to see who has already signed the healthcare declaration, scan the QR codes below or visit www.itgoestoofar.com. Details are on the website to read the abortion amendment and the legal and health implications, which do NOT protect women and girls; and how you can volunteer.
