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>> Coming up next on "Arizona
Horizon" -- we'll have a debate
on recent changes to state voter
laws.
We'll hear from both sides of
the issue.
>>> And an organization helping
the families of the 19
firefighters who lost their
lives in the Yarnell hill fire.
Those stories next on "Arizona
Horizon."
"Arizona Horizon" made possible
by contributions from the
friends of 8, members of your
Arizona PBS station.
Thank you.
>>> Good evening.
Welcome to "Arizona Horizon."
I'm Ted Simons.
A memorial service was held in
Prescott this morning for the 19
firefighters who lost their
lives battling the Yarnell hill
fire.
Vice president Joe Biden was
among those speaking today.
His message of hope was based
ongoing his own experience of
losing his wife and 13 month old
daughter in a car accident in
1972.
>> There's unbelievable as it
is, as unbelievable as it is to
even fathom, that the day will
come when the memory of your
husband, your son, your dad,
your brother will bring a smile
to your lips before it brings a
tier to your eye.
My prayer for all of you is that
that day will come sooner than
later, but I promise you, as
unbelievable as it is, it will
come.
>> Later in tonight's program
we'll hear from a representative
of the 100 club, an organization
that helps the families of
fallen first responders and is
now assisting those who lost
loved ones fighting the Yarnell
hill fire.
>>> A referendum to try to
overturn new voter laws approved
by the state legislature.
The protect your right to vote
committee has until September 12
to collect over 86,000 valid
signatures which would put the
law on hold until the 2014
general election.
It puts strict requirements on
citizen initiatives and make it
tougher for third parties to get
on ballot and it makes it more
difficult for someone else to
deliver another person's ballot
to the poll place.
Here is Barry Hess of the
libertarian party and in
support, Tim Seifert of the
American Republican party.
Talk on the new voter laws.
>> It's really a travesty for
the Arizona voters in the sense
that 16 Republicans only decided
to overhaul the most massive
overhaul of our election laws in
Arizona's history.
Traditionally they would go to
the voters where they should be.
This was clearly contrived to
keep third parties offer the
ballot in the thought that
Republicans would inherit Lynn
libertarian or independent
voters.
They just invited opposition,
not support.
>> it's not an overhaul.
These are small corrections if
you will that have been made to
the laws to make it easier for
voters to understand what it
takes to get on the ballot.
Every candidate on the general
election ballot now has to have
the same number of signatures to
get that spot, so it's an issue
of equality and fairness.
This was a law passed by the
house, passed by the Senate and
signed into law by the governor.
It does three main things.
Changes the signature of
requirements, equalizes those,
and it drops dormant voters who
have not been using their early
ballots from the list so we
won't have a lot of unvoted
ballots in circulation, which is
a recipe for fraud.
>> It's really unfortunate when
we talk about fairness to say
people have to get an equal
number of signatures to get on
the ballot.
What Mr. Seifert is not telling
you is in many cases the smaller
parties have to get more
signatures than there are party
religion restaurants.
The whole points of this is
basically does away with the
general election.
They are saying you have to
prove viability before you can
even get on the ballot, which is
absurd.
The Supreme Court has ruled
against it and they will again.
>> Real quickly what is wrong
with proving viability?
>> The whole points of a primary
is a very simple process.
It's to determine who will
represent each party and
interest on the general ballot,
not to determine if they will be
on the ballot.
It's who.
That's why the Supreme Court is
consistent said it should be a
percentage as it was in a more
fair distribution before this
nonsense came up based upon a
same percentage applied to the
registered voters in that
political --
>> Is this just a defactor
general election, adios primary?
>> About 36% are registered
Republican, 33% independents,
not involved in any political
party.
They are certainly free to sign
the petitions of any candidate
they desire.
>> That's not entirely true.
We went to court, and I won the
case at the 9th circuit the
right to close our primary so
that we could keep our own
distinction away from the
Republican Democrat team so we
could be completely separate.
We are.
We won that right.
This forces us to fight just to
get on the ballot, in many case
as majority is needed of
nonparty members to get your
signatures to get on your own
ballot to represent a specific
interest.
>> To that point is it fair that
you would need more signatures
than there are votes registered
in your party?
>> Well, it certainly is.
The libertarians have a history
of receiving more votes than
there are members in their
party.
That's sort of a red herring
argument.
>> No, that's speculation.
That's realty.
It's eligible is what the courts
go by.
The only ones who are eligible
in a close primary are those
people from that party.
The Greens get it too.
We're not talking just little
nudges as Mr. Seifert said to
the election law.
We're talking massive.
For instance the Green, they
need 50 to 200 times what they
did before just to get on the
ballot.
It's because the Republicans
hope that all Republicans, the
whole movement was to try to
push everybody off the ballot so
they can win by exclusion.
>> To that point specifically
the idea this is a technique of
the Republican party to get --
siphon Republicans off the
ballot?
>> That's not true.
It was passed by a Republican
legislature and Republican
governor but if you look at the
County recorder and the sick
tear the state, even the
Democrats, Ann Rodriguez in the
second largest County in the
state, she was wholeheartedly in
favor of this bill.
>> that's not entirely true.
2305 is two bills.
One is the amendment, the
omnibus to rewrite the election
laws.
That was tacked on at the last
minute.
The original three page bill,
the circulators that County
recorders talked about, they are
not in agreement with the rest
of the provisions.
There's like five major
provisions, several groups have
distinctions of each one what
they hate about it and we
brought together the tea party,
sheriff Richard Mack, Republican
Karen Johnson, we got the league
of women voters, the Goldwater
Institute, the Democrats, the
greens, the Iens.
I'm here to defend the
independents who have no access
to the ballot under any
circumstances in this nonsense.
>> last question on this.
Does this help give voters more
choice?
>> Well, I definitely think that
it does.
This is all about fairness to
the voters.
Candidates can take care of
themselves.
They do a good job of that.
The voters are the folks we're
concerned about.
That's what the County recorders
are concerned about, the folks
that are going to vote early or
vote at the polls.
This does preserve their choice.
They are getting legitimate
choices.
>> legitimate choices?
>> Absolutely not.
They are getting Republicans and
Democrats.
They are the ones that got us
into the pick will we're in in
Arizona and across the country.
We need ideas from outside.
It will be a Republican or
Democrat you choose from and
most of us realize it will make
a joke of the election and
Arizona gets to be the butt of
every joke in the world again.
>> There's another aspect of
this law that would make it
harder for citizen initiatives
and recalls.
You would have to follow strict
compliance with campaign laws,
not substantive or the idea that
you're close enough.
Why not follow strict laws?
>> I have no problem following
strict laws.
That doesn't bother me.
It bothers the greens and the
Democrats.
Didn't bother us.
We play by the rules.
We don't cheat.
It's like 55 different
Republicans have already
e-mailed me out of about 350 in
response saying I'm a Republican
and because of this I am not
going to vote Republican,
period.
Of course from our perspective
we're going to be encouraging
them along that line.
If we should not get the
reverend bum dumb or the court
challenges are not successful.
>> why isn't that good enough.
>> This is the legislature
giving much needed direction to
the courts when those judges
made their decisions about
whether something stays on the
ballot or gets kicked off.
The other aspects the election
voting changes, tightening up
the rules in the earth voter
roll, you're removes after two
elections?
>> Actually four.
>> why is it necessary?
>> It's expensive to mail those
ballots.
The way people move, we send
ballots and they don't vote.
That's fine.
After this law after four
elections have gone by and they
haven't voted their ballot they
will get a postcard saying are
you still there?
Do you still want to receive
your early ballot?
All they have to say is I'm
still here.
I would like to continue to
receive my ballot.
>> this is a nationwide thing.
This is going on like in 17 or
18 states.
These Republicans are really
trying to tighten this nut.
They want to save money on
voting or sending their
literature, the campaign trash
to all the people they Don want
to sends it to dead voters.
That's what it's about.
To save them money.
It's a Republican thing again.
>> Regardless of money saved or
not saved the idea is you're on
an early voting list and you're
not voting early should you
remain on the list?
>> Whatever the rules are, we're
willing to play by the rules.
If it's every two years I don't
have any terrible objection to
that.
>> You're not all excited about
that.
>> For an early ballot, but
eligibility, as long as they are
a registered voter they should
be able to vote.
Limiting who can take another
person's ballot to a polling
place, why is that necessary?
>> That's a big deal.
We got calls at the state party
headquarters saying there's
groups of people coming through
the neighborhoods knocking on
doors and picking up people's
ballots.
These groups, they know who has
received an early ballot.
Though know who hasn't turned it
in and they are trying to pick
up these ballots.
That's just a recipe for
mischief.
We have always discouraged
people from giving their ballot
to anyone they don't know and
trust.
Now the law has codified that.
>> Recipe for mischief?
Have we seen mischief?
>> We would have to go to court
to find actual instances but the
number of ballots turned in
through this process is in the
10,000s.
This is a particular issue that
the County recorders were
particularly upset about.
A lot of ballots get turned in
at the last minute, it delays
the count.
>> On this aspect it is a recipe
for disaster.
Not only give you the ballot but
help you fill it out and hand
carry it back to where they want
it to go.
I remember when the Republicans
were sending postcards to their
registered members saying who
are you going to vote for, and
we're going to send you a
mail-in ballot.
The ones who checked off the
wrong name, Mccain was the
right one I think, libertarians
were doing some dumpster diving
arched found all the once who
weren't voting for the approved
candidate had their ballots
thrown into the dumpster.
It was a court case.
We proved it.
It was just interesting to hear
them talk about they want to do
things on the above board when
they have been doing the sneaky
stuff.
>> How do you respond to that?
>> It's interesting to hear
about the dumpster diving.
What we're concerned about is
that the voters can trust the
process.
They can trust their ballot will
be counted.
It will go into the hands of an
election official, the choices
they have are for legitimate
candidates that have met the
same standard that Ault other
candidates have done.
>> By qualifying for the primary
I wouldn't have any quarrel with
that statement but what he
intends is completely different
than I what do.
>> Last question, you keep
mentioning the primary, the fact
you qualified.
I'm the Ted Simons party, I have
15 people who joins as a party,
do I get to have my own primary?
>> Absolutely.
The reason is if you think about
it the short sightedness of this
whole plan would have knocked
Ronald Reagan out of the race in
the presidential run.
These guys are not thinking.
The primary is not to determine
viability or broad acceptance.
It's to determine who is the
best standard bearer for that
limited group, the Ted Simons
party.
The realty would be that if
you're required to get my
signature I may say you better
start giving me free stuff from
government.
>> who is to decide what a
legitimate candidate is?
>> the voters make that decision
in the primary.
When those candidates get
advanced on to the general
ballot, very few people vote in
the primaries.
The general elections turnout is
much higher.
>> Provided you have a primary.
>> Yes.
>> if this bill was honestly
well intended you would
eliminate the primary all
together and determine to have
the parties just submit names to
the Secretary of State who is
going to be on the ballot and it
would have gotten rid of the
mail-in ballot.
>> last word.
>> that's an argument based on
convenience.
Coming from a third party that
really doesn't have much of a
chance for victory.
>> we have to stop it right
there.
Good discussion.
Good to have you here.
>> thank you.
>> thank you very much.
>>> Drive a few miles north of
strawberry on highway 87, nearly
20 miles on rugged forest roads
along the edge and into the deep
woods atop the Mogollon Rim,
then scamper 500 feet down the
southern edge of a rocky canyon
and you'll come upon a monument
to the battle of big dry wash.
The site looks much as it did on
July 17, 1882, when a party of
over 50 Apaches waited to ambush
cavalry led by captain Chafee.
The troops were guided by the
Apache had no idea they were now
surrounded, outnumbered and had
lost the element of surprise.
Nearly half the Apache were
killed including the chief.
Only two troopers died in the
melee.
The names of the cavalry that
took part in the fight are
listed on the back of the rarely
visited massive stone monument
including lieutenant Thomas Cruz
who won the medal of honor.
The battle of big dry wash was
the last battle fought between
the Apaches and Army regulars.
>>> The 100 clubs is an
organization that helps families
of firefighters, police officers
and other emergency first
responders who lost their lives
in the line of duty.
Claire Franklin is here to talk
about the organization and
specifically the 100 club's
efforts to assist the families
of the 19 firefighters killed in
the Yarnell hill fire.
Thank you for joining us.
You must be awfully busy right
now.
>> we're so busy, Ted, but it's
been so great.
The community support, the
outreach, businesses from across
the nation are coming to us
wanting to help.
It's just overwhelming in a good
way.
>> let's talk about the
organization.
What is the 100 club?
It stands behind the men and
women who stand behind the
badge.
Since 1968 we have been there
for our Phoenix families when an
officer is killed in the line of
duty.
Since almost 12 years ago we
expanded to include firefighters
appear are statewide now.
We're there in cases of line of
duty deaths, nonline of duty
deaths, line of duty injury,
scholarships, safety equipment,
anything we can do to enhance
the safety and welfare of those
behind the badge.
>> more specifically how does
the club help the families of
the first responders?
What's actually done?
>> First and foremost 24 to 48
hours where there was a check.
In line of duty, $15,000
immediately.
We have the funds ready and
available because usually it
takes some time for the benefits
to kick in through the cities
and federal and life insurance,
so we're there with that
immediate relief to pay the
bills on the table, to help with
funeral arrangements, pretty
much anything we can do we're
there for.
Then off line the duty that's
$5,000.
>> Money, resources.
Advice?
Moral support?
>> The emotional support, we're
just there when the family wants
us.
We don't want to attack them
with information, but when they
want to talk to us we're there.
We have survivors, a team of
survivors who have lost their
husbands and wives and children.
They can provide just a little
insight of what to expect, just
to let them know we're there for
them.
>> how do you figure out what a
family might need?
The family is obviously thrown
for a complete loop.
They may not know what they
need.
How do you figure it out?
>> Every family is different.
Some families have children.
Some don't.
Some are married.
Some weren't.
Some were the only wage earners.
Other people's spouses do have a
job.
Every family is a little
different.
I think the families don't even
know what they need.
We're just there to tell them
yes we can do that.
Don't worry about your grandma
in California or somebody in
Hawaii.
We'll bring them here.
Wherever they are we'll bring
them here for the funerals.
We just don't want them to have
any worry.
It's just enough worry and grief
as it is.
>> The help starts pretty much
within 48 hours.
How long does that assistance
continue?
>> Until forever.
Forever.
We're going to be there for them
forever.
One thing is that each family
will be invited back to the
national memorial, so there's a
national firefighter memorial in
Denver and a police memorial in
D.C.
We want to help them get there
too.
They have a year of memorials
ahead of them, sometimes a year
and a half, that they are going
to state memorials, city
memorials, national memorials,
the 100 club memorial.
It's going to be a long year.
We'll thereby after that too.
We have a scholarship program
for their children.
>> The 100 club has been around
for quite a while of Dow did it
start?
>> It started in Michigan when a
local businessman asked 100
friends to donate $100 to help
care for a young police
officer's widow.
It was brought here including
some of Arizona's finest
businessmen.
They came together and wanted to
dot same concept.
Today we don't require you to
pay $100.
We have different types of
memberships but the 100 club has
carried on.
It's been 45 years.
We are the only statewide 100
club organization out there.
>> Who runs the 100 club?
>> We have one executive
director who lost her husband in
1998, and the 100 club knocked
on her door within the first 24
hours.
At that time it was a $4,000
check.
She couldn't believe she was
going to the bank to deposit
money because she had lost
somebody and there were
organizations to help her.
Years prior she had lost her son
when he was six-year-old old in
1983, and she always recalled
going to the bank to take out a
loan to pay for his funeral.
She stayed with the 100 club,
came on board after 9/11, and
has done remarkable things.
We have a small staff of six
full-time employees.
>> you have how many members
now?
>> Over 3,000 members.
So many supporters and sponsors
that don't become a member
technically but are still
supporting us.
>> If someone wants to donate,
do they have to become a member?
How do they assist and in what
ways can they assist?
>> We have so many ways to
assist.
Membership is not required.
Donations are always a big thing
because we are contribution
based.
We're solely based on
contribution and membership.
Volunteer hours are great.
Organizations who can come
together and have a volunteer
program.
Of course sharing our mission.
We have a great Facebook page
where people can connect with us
and figure out what's going on
in their communities this.
Week we have a ton of events and
fund-raising things going on in
memory of the granite mountain
hotshots.
>> let's talk about this
particular tragedy because it's
one thing to have one.
19 people.
Talk about the challenges of
figuring out what needed to be
done.
>> It was overwhelming and
remarkable just seeing how the
100 club was put into action.
We rarely pay 19 deaths in one
year.
We recently lost three in May
with the Phoenix officer and
firefighter and DPS officer.
So no one was expecting this,
but when I first read the news I
was like, no.
This can't be.
This can't be happening.
I didn't believe it.
I really woke up next morning
thinking it was a nightmare.
What was so great is we had
those funds available.
We had the money.
We had to move some things
around, but to pay $15,000 to
each of those 19 families.
We delivered checks all last
week.
We have been in Prescott, we
have helping the command center,
the chaos.
It's chaos.
So they needed printers.
They needed things to run their
command center so they could
plan the funerals and the
memorial today.
The 100 club helped with all of
that.
>> it might be as much as we're
going to go get a printer as
opposed to we're going to buy
one?
>> We went to staples and bought
three printers and paid for it.
Markers, anything they might
need.
There was a team of hundreds of
firefighters working to get all
of this organized.
>> If someone wants to help and
assist the 100 club, what can
they do?
>> The best place is
100club.org.
There's ways to donate on the
front page.
We have several ways.
You can call our office of
course if you have questions,
but 100club.org.
>> Also the best place to get
more information about the
organization.
>> definitely.
>> we have talked about so much
about the families and folks in
Prescott, obviously that's where
the focus is, for the 100 club,
how much regrouping, how much do
you sit back and start again?
>> Well, at the end of this
month we're paying out $177,000
in scholarships.
So we want to get regrouped
quickly to get those checks out.
That's just the first semester
for this year.
Next semester will be an
additional 177.
We're needing that support
definitely, but we were so happy
to help those kids.
>> We're glad we could get you
on the program to learn more
about the 100 club.
Continued success with the
organization.
You're doing great work.
>> thank you for having us.
>>> Wednesday on "Arizona
Horizon," we'll look at
encouraging news regarding
foreclosure levels in the
Phoenix area and a Phoenix based
company that specializes in 3-D
and 10:00 on
the next "Arizona Horizon."
>>> That is it for now.
I'm Ted Simons.
Thank you so much for joining
us.
You have a great evening.
>>> "Arizona Horizon" is made
possible by contributions from
the friends of 8, members of
your Arizona PBS station.
Thank you.
>>> When you want to be more
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>>> 8 celebrates Arizona history
with a moment in time made
possible by messenger mortuary.
The luxurious Arizona Biltmore
opened February 23, 1929.
The Biltmore features a
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>>> Coming up on 8H.D., 8 life,
and 8 world --
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So amazing how quick they
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It has made me a better father.
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>>> Next time on POV, what's it
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I figured we would break up
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>> In 1998 the people of Arizona
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More about running for office or
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101.com.