Arizona: At Hearing, Latinos Demand Answers to Primary Voting Problems

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/arizona-hearing-latinos-demand-answers-primary-voting-problems-n547131

Hundreds attended the House Elections Committee hearing on Monday. Some took to the podium to express their frustration. One woman accused election officials of purposely limiting polling places in areas with large populations of poor and minority voters, while another spoke about how she saw voters leave because they didn't have time to wait in the long lines. And some called on Purcell to resign.

Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Gallardo said another day of voting should take place "because there were a number of people that were disenfranchised."

"They did everything they were supposed to do," Gallardo said. "They registered to vote on time. They looked up to find out where they needed to go. They showed up on time. Unfortunately, they were not able to make it all the way up to the polling booth for a number of reasons."

Michael Martinez, director of legislative affairs for the Arizona Students' Association, accused election officials of engaging in "a systematic effort" to eliminate polling places in areas with large populations of Latino and low income families. In doing so, he said officials "made it more difficult for people of color and people who are below the poverty line to actually have their voices heard."