The Cochise County government’s lawyer told the supervisors that what they were doing was violating state law, every step of the way. They ignored him. Now former prosecutors are arguing that the two supervisors must face criminal prosecutions, or else Arizonans will see more of this nonsense in future elections …

There’s also a civil lawsuit filed against the county, contending that the supervisors disenfranchised their constituents. That will be tougher to prove now that they’ve relented, but the lawyer bringing the case contends that the case could serve as a useful warning to other local lawmakers: “We’re hoping that our type of litigation would have a deterrent effect for county supervisors of any level of government in Arizona who feel they have any sort of right to violate state law and disenfranchise voters.”

What was the point of this stunt? It didn’t change any election results, embarrassed the county, and may well cost the county’s taxpayers more in legal fees.

There is a distinct subset of the Republican Party – and population at large, honestly – that mistakes anger for righteousness, gut feelings for empirical evidence, strongly held beliefs as verifiable facts, and a position in government with a platform for venting whatever pops into their head to the general public. They believe adherence to the law as a series of optional suggestions, not requirements.