Shouting match erupts — again — at Arizona Legislature during hearing on voting changes

Another hearing at the Arizona Legislature erupted in shouting Tuesday night, culminating in the chairwoman of the House Elections Committee trying to cut off public testimony and pass multifaceted changes to election law in the late evening.

Committee Chairwoman Kelly Townsend, a Republican from Mesa who is sponsoring the bill, argued it would merely help prevent voter fraud. But a crowd of critics waited for hours to lodge their opposition, arguing the bill is aimed at disenfranchising voters, particularly people of color.

Opponents argued one provision of House Bill 2304 would stop voters from taking a translator of their choosing to voting booths.

Critics also noted the bill would, among other things, allow the state to contract with federal immigration authorities to check the citizenship status of people on Arizona's voter registration rolls.

It also would require regular checks of voter registration records against lists of jurors. That would check for people disqualified from service based on citizenship.

Critics contend both processes could trip up new citizens and hamper them in the voter registration process.

Townsend argued that the measure seeks to ensure that only citizens are registering to vote and that it should not affect people who are eligible to participate in elections.

She cut off one speaker who argued the measure was part of an effort to suppress election turnout and participation in communities of color.

The speaker, Randy Perez, of the group Living United for Change in Arizona, continued his testimony and Townsend insisted he stop. She recessed the hearing, got up from her chair and walked out of the hearing room to summon security as members of the committee argued amongst themselves.

MORE:Migrant-rights advocates file complaint against senator who cut off testimony

"This bill is part of the SB 1070-plus push that is happening at the Legislature this week," Perez told Townsend at one point, referring to several pieces of legislation that includes a ballot measure that would enshrine a ban on sanctuary immigration policies in the state Constitution.

Townsend then went directly to Perez and told him repeatedly to leave. He was escorted out by security.

The chairwoman told the committee later that she had tried to get Perez to speak about the subject of the bill, contending that he was discussing issues not in front of the committee.

"I asked him to stick to the bill and not to be impugning motives, not to talk about President Trump, because President Trump is not in this bill. Subsequently, the meeting devolved into chaos," she said, expressly telling the committee that she "did not recess because anybody was brown."

Townsend proceeded to cut off public testimony, prompting protests from others who had waited through the afternoon and into the evening to speak about the bill, which the chairwoman placed last on a lengthy agenda.

"I have completely lost control of this room. So, I am going to move forward with the vote, since you guys can't respect what I am trying to do in the chair," Townsend told the gallery.

"You have no respect," one person in the gallery responded.

The hearing was already tense after Townsend started the meeting by telling a packed committee room she would limit public testimony if more than 10 people wanted to speak on any particular piece of legislation.

The chairwoman referred to a fracas that erupted a week earlier in the Senate Judiciary Committee when the chairman tried to stop public testimony.

'I always allow robust debate'

In that incident, lobbyist Hugo Polanco, also from LUCHA, told that Senate committee the proposed constitutional amendment on immigration would be "a return to the racism, divisiveness and hate of (Senate Bill) 1070." Chairman Eddie Farnsworth, R-Gilbert, told him not to be "vitriolic" but cut off Polanco again when he insisted the measure was "racist, divisive and hateful."

Farnsworth asked security personnel to remove Polanco if he continued to argue and announced the committee was done hearing public comment on the measure. Shouts and chants erupted from the gallery.

LUCHA filed an ethics complaint over Farnsworth's handling of the incident earlier Tuesday.

Democrats accused Townsend on Tuesday of trying to stifle criticism of her own bill.

"I always allow robust debate but seeing as what happened the last week that we were here, and what has happened in Mr. Farnsworth's committee in the Senate, I will not tolerate any of that in my committee today," Townsend said.

Rep. Athena Salman, D-Tempe, moved to overturn the chairwoman's decision limiting public comment, arguing that committee hearings are the public's only opportunity in the legislative process to provide testimony on a bill.

The motion failed on a party-line vote and the committee proceeded before erupting more than four hours later around 8:30 p.m., when it took up Townsend's bill.

The motion failed on a party-line vote and the committee proceeded before erupting more than four hours later around 8:30 p.m., when it took up Townsend's bill.

Perez raised objections to Townsend's comments earlier in the day that she might limit testimony and that she had Department of Public Safety officers waiting to deal with any unruly behavior.

Majority Leader Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, told Perez that behavior — of "you and others like you that were disrespectful to the process" — in Farnsworth's hearing had prompted Townsend's actions

Rep. Diego Rodriguez, D-Phoenix, said the phrase "people like you" was offensive in itself.

And as members talked over each other, Townsend recessed the hearing.

Townsend later called for a vote and Democrats argued she was rushing a proposal that would make it harder for some voters to participate in elections.

"My family doesn't only speak Spanish. I have family members who speak Spanish. I have family members who speak Arabic and your bill takes away their right to bring their translator to that ballot box," Salman said.

When Salman brought up Trump, Rep. John Fillmore, R-Apache Junction, interjected: "Give us your vote and become a victim somewhere else."

Townsend's bill passed by a mostly party line vote of 5 to 3, with Rep. Bob Thorpe, R-Flagstaff, voting "present."

The bill still requires approval from the full House and Senate.

Contact Andrew Oxford at andrew.oxford@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter at @andrewboxford.