Could the Arizona Legislature be any more embarassing? Here's the latest fiasco

Once again, the Arizona Legislature has unmasked itself, putting a breathtaking lack of competence on display for all to see.

It seems our leaders, Republicans and Democrats alike, fast-tracked a bill into law last week, one that will change the way party activists become party officials.

Only none of the legislators actually read the bill before voting on it. Now Republican Party activists are furious and Republican lawmakers are scrambling to fix it.

Something made all the harder by the fact that they will need the help of Democratic legislators — people they’ve rolled over and ignored for years — to fix it.

Democrats certainly should agree to help their GOP colleagues ... for a price.

How to make a mess of things in one day

This particular mess was created last week, when the House and Senate leadership pushed through a pair of bills to clarify the number of nominating signatures congressional and legislative candidates will need to collect to get on the ballot this year. It’s a one-time cleanup, to deal with logistical problems created by the redrawing of political lines in last year’s once-a-decade redistricting process.

In order for the bill to go into immediate effect — so that candidates could start filing their nominating petitions this week — the Legislature bypassed all public hearings and all opportunity for debate or study. Instead, legislative leaders declared an “emergency” on Thursday and took an immediate vote, passing the plan by the required two-thirds majority and shipping it off to Gov. Doug Ducey who promptly signed the bill into law.

Unfortunately, it appears no one actually read the bill. If they had, they’d have realized it also changed the way the parties’ precinct committeemen are selected.

PC’s, as they are called, are the activist base of each party. They are the people who determine the party's direction and leadership. They knock on doors to get legislators elected and if a seat in their district becomes vacant, they draw up the list of possible replacements for appointment by the Board of Supervisors.

PC's are elected during the primary. Most run unopposed and some seats go unfilled, though activists in the MAGA wing of the GOP are working hard to change that, to prevent any move toward moderation within the party.

GOP activists are furious

Imagine their surprise to wake up on Friday and find out that PCs won’t be elected this year and that the number of PCs may even be cut. The “emergency” bill calls for PC's, instead, to be appointed by the county political parties this year, with the approval of the Board of Supervisors.

Democrats don’t seem to much care. Republican activists, however, are furious which, in turn, means Republican legislators are furious.

“HB2839 was sold as a way to overcome the incompetence of Katie Hobbs ,” Rep. Joseph Chaplik, R-Scottsdale, tweeted over the weekend. “I requested a meeting with leadership MON morning to correct the PC issue IMMEDIATELY I am demanding that we re-empower our grassroots PC’s and their hard work for this state.”

Pity Rep. Chaplik didn’t empower himself by actually reading the bill before voting for it last week.

“I won’t point fingers. I will just say that new language is usually highlighted in a bill proposal," Sen. Kelly Townsend, R-Apache Junction, tweeted. "HB2389 PC changes were not highlighted. I have recommended that we repeal it & start over with a properly formatted bill, sent through committee with public comments. #DoItRight”

Actually, new language isn’t highlighted in a bill that sets “session law” — impacting only this year and not a permanent change in law. It’s surprising that a longtime legislator like Townsend wouldn’t know that.

But to be fair, she's apparently not alone.

Oops. Can we have a do-over?

So now the push is on to quickly repeal the law they approved but never read.

There is just one slight problem.

Because a two-thirds majority was needed to pass this “emergency” law, that same supermajority is required to repeal it. Republicans will need the support of Democrats.

On Monday afternoon, all three Democrats on the House Rules Committee voted against allowing the introduction of a bill to repeal the PC changes. Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Reginald Bolding, D-Laveen, told the Arizona Mirror that he wouldn’t commit to supporting the plan.

“With regards to whether or not they’ll receive an emergency clause to kick this in … I would be interested to hear a compelling case they could make to myself and my caucus why we should do that,” Bolding told the Mirror’s Jeremy Duda.

Democrats (for once) are in the driver's seat

Democrats' refusal to commit is prompting some Republicans to go on the attack, which is always a great way to round up support.

Still Democrats shouldn’t leave their Republican colleagues hanging. They should agree to repeal the law.

For a price.

Perhaps a guarantee by Fann and House Speaker Rusty Bowers, R-Mesa, to leave the state’s early voting system alone and to put the kibosh on election “reforms” that aim to make it more difficult to vote.

Or maybe a seat at the table, for once, when Republicans are setting the state’s budget priorities.

Or how about an agreement from Republicans to kill their plan to divert more tax money to private schools through a massive expansion of school vouchers?

Republicans are pouring on the pressure, demanding that Democrats “protect democracy” by ensuring that PC's will continue to be elected rather than appointed.

“Every single legislator should be equally motivated to protect democracy!” GOP activist Merissa Hamilton tweeted. “There should have been ZERO votes on this bill last week. This is a failure of leadership by both sides!”

She’s absolutely right.

Now it’s time for her and the Republican legislators who jump to the party’s tune to acknowledge that democracy also resulted in nearly half of the House and Senate being represented by Democrats.

Yet those Democrats — and thus the voters they represent — are ignored by the Republicans who hold a mere one-vote majority in each chamber.

Ignored, that is, until they are needed.

Like now.

Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LaurieRoberts.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: The Arizona Legislature once again embarrasses itself