Election Integrity

It should be easy to vote, but difficult to cheat.

If you are old enough to remember when we had real election integrity in Arizona, then you remember precinct level voting with paper ballots on election day only, which were then hand counted at the election close, at the respective precincts. Each precinct has roughly 1,000 to 1,500 voters.

Accommodations for absentee voting can and should be made for voters with cause.

Voter identification must be required. Each ballot must have a serial number for identification purposes.

Gun Rights – 2A

Second Amendment
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

The Second Amendment is sacrosanct and MUST be defended without exception.

The Second Amendment does NOT place limitations on United States citizens. The Second Amendment places limitations on government.

I am a NRA Life Member and an Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL) member.

My # 1 firearm safety rule is, carry one.

I Am Pro Life

Life starts at conception. I will do all I can to protect the lives of innocent babies.

Rural Issues - Water and Fire

Whiskey is for drinking – Water is for fighting. - Mark Twain

The peoples’ republic of California, along with the federal government, have consistently imposed their size and power over the sovereign state of Arizona. Too often, our state officials capitulate to the water demands of others. Our priority should be with Arizona, always.

Meanwhile, California is dismantling dams and reservoirs throughout their state. Then, they complain that they don’t have enough water and want to confiscate Arizona's water.

I have been participating in the Rural Water Working Group so that I may learn more about the concerns and challenges that citizens in rural Arizona counties face. There are not “one size fits all” solutions; however, I believe that local control, is paramount. We must protect local control over water systems and infrastructure from state and federal overreach.

For too long, the health of our forests has been mostly ignored. At both the Federal and State level, we must implement fuels reduction that may include timber harvesting, mastication, and open grazing. These simple concepts are far superior to allowing our forests and deserts to burn, which endangers rural citizens and communities.

Additionally, timber harvesting and grazing are economically beneficial, creating jobs and revenue for Arizona.

As a rural Arizonian, like most Arizonians, I know that the government that governs the best is the government that governs the least. I stand with rural communities, agricultural producers, and ranchers.

Foreign entities, especially our adversaries and enemies, should not be allowed to own land (along with the respective water rights) within Arizona, or the United States.

I stand with We the People.

Education

Government schools are failing our children. Currently, less than 1/3 of the students are proficient in basic reading and math. The knee jerk solution is always to provide more money, now at approximately $15,000 per student, which is half Arizona’s annual budget. Apparently, the more money government schools receive, the poorer they perform.

Many government schools indoctrinate, not educate. As an example, my teenage nephew, who is home schooled, is taking on line college courses while some of his peers, attending government schools, are trying to figure out which pronoun to use that identifies with their perceived gender.

The solution to failing schools is increased school choice competition in the form of charter schools and faith-based schools along with micro schools and home schooling in conjunction with Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA). The ESA program, school choice, provides about $7,000 in funding per student, about half the cost of sending a student to a government school. Parents can use the ESA school choice funding to remove their child from a failing government school, which for each student removed, is $15,000 less the school will receive.

With continued reduced enrollment, the government schools will be forced to either improve education or will lose so many students that some failing schools will close due to lack of enrollment.

Keep in mind that the teacher’s unions are all about mediocrity and are not interested in performance. The proof is that exceptional teachers make the same salary as the inferior teacher.

Additionally, increased competition will benefit the teachers as well. They will be able to work in the environment that best suits their individual talents.

Lastly, let's make children innocent again. We must not subject children to DEI and wokeness along with transgender nonsense and sexuality.

Law Enforcement

The difference between a capitalist society and a socialist society is the protection and defense of rights. No person in their right mind would make an investment (monetary or otherwise) knowing that it will be destroyed by those who “feel” that they are “entitled” to your life, liberty, and property. It is the rule of law, enforced by the police, that allows us to live peacefully in society.

I will continue to support law enforcement and will never allow them to be defunded. These brave men and women put their lives on the line everyday and have the same right as anyone else to go home to their families at the end of their shifts.

My wife, Kerry, and I are honorary members of the Arizona Law Enforcement Emerald Society. Now in our second decade, we have been supporting their benevolent work of assisting fallen and injured officers and their families.

Rural Arizona’s Energy

As an Arizona State House Representative, I will work to ensure that rural Arizona’s energy is reliable and as inexpensive as possible. Most of us understand that the “Green New Deal” benefits the Chinese and harms Americans.

I will endeavor to safeguard that rural communities are not left behind or over regulated by urban-centric energy policies.

I will oppose mandates that drive up utility costs for small-town families, farmers, and ranchers.

For these reasons, I, Andrew Costanzo, endorse David Marshall (currently serving our LD 7 in the Arizona House of Representatives) and Ralph Heap (currently serving LD 10 in the Arizona House of Representatives) for the Arizona Corporation Commission.