Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs announced her appointment of Christina Estes-Werther to the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission on Friday, confirming the former member of her Elections Task Force will be the first new member of the commission since 2017.
Hobbs confirmed the appointment in a press release, with her office noting Estes-Werther “served as deputy general counsel for Governor Jan Brewer, state elections director under Secretary of State Ken Bennett, and as a member of the Bipartisan Elections Task Force established by Governor Hobbs in 2023.”
The governor stated, “Estes-Werther is among Arizona’s foremost experts in election law and administration.” Citing Estes-Werther’s “years of practical experience,” Hobbs declared, “I am confident that she will bring valuable insight to the Commission as it continues its important work during the 2024 election year.”
Estes-Werther wrote about her experience serving on Hobbs’ Elections Task Force last November.
“Earlier this year I was appointed to the Governor’s Bipartisan Elections Task Force and had the honor to work with election officials from around the state and discuss ideas and develop proposals for Arizona’s elections system,” wrote Estes-Werther in a post to professional networking site LinkedIn.
She added, “I was glad to participate as the Chair of the Election Day and After Working Group and serve as a member of the Election Administration Working Group. The final report can be found in the link below.
According to Arizona law, Arizona’s governor and the top elected leader of whichever party does not hold the governor’s mansion take turns appointing members to the commission.
Hobbs was the last person to appoint a new member to the commission in 2017, when she was the Minority Leader of the Arizona State Senate. With her appointment, and other members beyond their term, it has been speculated that an appointment will soon be made by Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee, who is a Republican.
The commission has five members, but is required to only have two members from any political party at one time. Following Estes-Werther’s appointment, it reportedly holds two Republicans, two independents, and one Democrat.
In December, Hobbs and Yee secured a legal opinion from Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, which affirmed the governor’s ability to appoint two consecutive members to the commission.
The commission in September created a new rule for political advertisements, and will require those placing the ads to disclose their top three funding sources in print, audio, and audio-visual advertising mediums.
– – –
Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Christina Estes-Werther” by Pierce Coleman PLLC and “Election Day” is by Sasha Gong / Voice of America CC2.0.
In other words, nothing will change.