AZ Governor Hobbs Appoints Clean Elections Czar Christina Estes-Werther

Arizona’s Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs has appointed Christina Estes-Werther to head the Arizona Clean Elections Committee, marking the first new appointment to the committee in seven years. Estes-Werther, a registered Independent, served as deputy general counsel under Republican Governor Jan Brewer and as state elections director under then-director (and now state senator) Ken Bennett (R-LD1).

In a press release dated April 12, 2024, Hobbs announced that she chose Estes-Werther due to her “extensive knowledge of Arizona election law and administration.”

Hobbs wrote, “With her years of practical experience in elections at the state, county, and local level, 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, an experienced attorney, is no stranger to working for the Governor, most recently serving on Hobbs’ Bipartisan Elections Task Force. She also has extensive experience representing local governments in election-related legal actions.

The committee sparked outrage among Republican lawmakers after its November 2023 report proposing changes to the 2024 elections that some believe is an attempt by the Governor to reduce transparency in changes to election laws and procedures.

Estes-Werther faced controversy over her representation of Santa Cruz County in its 2022 case against AUDIT USA. The county attempted to block watchdog access to county election records in that case. According to audio recordings obtained by the Tucson Sentinal, the judge in that case, Casey McGinley, expressed concerns over the county attempting to set precedents allowing potential lawfare against those seeking election transparency.

In those recordings, the judge asked, “What’s to stop a county from deciding that they’re going to sue a private entity, whether it’s a person or group of people, for fear that one day that person might seek a public records request that they don’t want to provide?” McGinley continued, “I think we can all imagine very nefarious scenarios that could result if a county or other government official could file a lawsuit seeking declaratory relief in response to a public records request.”

However, given Estes-Werther’s bipartisan service, she will unlikely face any personal scrutiny from Republicans. However, they are likely to keep a close watch over the committee’s actions in light of the prior concerns voiced over its overall pervue and intent.