Former Councilwoman Ginny Dickey’s and Councilman Henry Leger’s criticisms of the Legislature for changing the election law are factually incorrect.

At a recent council meeting, Dickey characterized the Legislature’s requiring municipalities to hold elections on the regular high-turnout dates instead of on off-year and off-month dates as “voter suppression.”

That is not true.

Leger said the Legislature caused confusion by returning to the system that allows voters to vote either by mail-in ballot or at a polling place, but that’s the system the voters have used for decades without confusion.

Contrary to Ginny Dickey’s unsupported allegation, moving Fountain Hills’ elections to regular election dates (August/November) instead of isolated ones (March/May) increased voter turnout.

The average voter turnout in Fountain Hills during the 2010 through 2014 election period was only 38 percent for elections held on the isolated months, while the average turnout for the state-mandated regular election dates was 53 percent -- a 40 percent increase.

Even more revealing is the fact that Dickey’s most-favored election scenario, an all-mail ballot on off-months, when used in 2012 only turned out 37 percent of Fountain Hills voters.

Increasing turnout is not voter suppression. Voter suppression is scheduling elections on dates that fewer people turn out on, which Ginny Dickey advocates for and defends.

In addition, Ginny Dickey’s preferred all-mail and isolated date elections costs Fountain Hills taxpayers over 400 percent more to run than regular date elections ($2.12 per registered voter versus $0.50) and eliminates the option of voters getting either a mail ballot or going to a polling place, which many voters consider a sacred tradition.

Ginny Dickey also argues that Fountain Hills’ voters will lose sight of town races on the larger general election ballot. That is an insult to the intelligence of the voters of Fountain Hills.

Ginny Dickey should apologize.