Poll: Voters Want a Reform-Minded County Attorney

PHOENIX — A poll shows that likely Arizona voters from a variety of political backgrounds want a reform-minded county attorney.

The poll was conducted by Change Research between February 4 and 7, 2020 and included results from 902 registered Arizona voters likely to vote in November 2020.

Among the key findings:

• 9 in 10 likely Arizona voters said it’s very important for a county attorney to end corruption, prioritize transparency, and make data publicly available.
• 79% of likely voters agree that racism is a problem in the criminal justice system, and a county attorney should work to eliminate racial disparities.
• 77% of likely voters want independent investigations when police hurt or kill people to ensure officers are held accountable for misconduct.
• Nearly 80% of voters agree that county attorneys should reduce incarceration by prioritizing treatment for substance abuse and mental health problems and reduce extremely long prison sentences.
• Arizona voters do not want their county attorneys to focus on prosecuting non-violent drug crimes.

The results come ahead of contentious county attorney races across Arizona in November, including in Maricopa County and Pima County.

“Arizona voters recognize the damage mass incarceration has caused to the state and the role county attorneys have played in this crisis,” said the ACLU of Arizona Smart Justice Campaign. “This crisis touches everyone. People watch as their loved ones serve long, unnecessary sentences. Once released, they struggle to find jobs and employment. Taxpayers are watching $1.1 billion go toward maintaining a prison system that doesn’t work. Voters have the power to push county attorneys to vow to drastically reform the way their offices prosecute and to become a vocal advocate for meaningful criminal justice reform.”

A polling memo and crosstabs can be found at www.smartjusticeaz.org/reformready.