Vetoed by Governor Katie Hobbs

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that amends the state ballot counting process in Arizona.

Highlights:

• Requires the board of supervisors of each state county to establish election precincts within the county on or before October 1 of each year (Sec. 16-411).

• Requires each county board of supervisors to designate polling locations at least (Sec. 16-411):

• 20 days before a general or primary election; or

• 10 days before a special election.

• Authorizes polling locations in adjacent precincts, if a suitable location is not available within a county precinct (Sec. 16-411).

• Authorizes the combination or splitting of county precincts for administrative purposes (Sec. 16-411).

• Authorizes the board of supervisors to utilize voting centers (Sec. 16-411).

• Requires voting centers to provide accurate ballots for voters regardless of the voter’s registered precinct (Sec. 16-411).

• Requires the justice of the peace to designate a polling location at least 2 days before an election, if the board of supervisors fails to designate a location (Sec. 16-411).

• Authorizes the board to consolidate polling locations and/or tabulation of results, if no one appears on the ballot for an election in a precinct and if (Sec. 16-411):

• All voters are notified by mail at least 33 days before the election;

• A notice of the new polling location, hours, and voting assistance telephone number is provided; and 

• Voters receive information regarding early voting dates and absentee ballot requests.

• Authorizes the use of public schools as a voting location for any city, county, or state election (Sec. 16-411).

• Requires the Department of Administration to provide a list of appropriate, state-owned facilities that may be used as a voting location, beginning in 2026 (Sec. 16-411).

• Authorizes electioneering and political activity at a minimum of 75 feet away from any polling or voting location (Sec. 16-411).

• Requires the board of supervisors or election officials to test any automatic tabulation equipment to be used for election purposes (Sec. 16-449).

• Requires the publication of the time and date of the equipment test in a local newspaper at least 48 hours before the test (Sec. 16-449).

• Requires the equipment test to be witnessed by a minimum of two election inspectors, who may not be of the same political party (Sec. 16-449). 

• Requires the use of prefilled, pre-counted ballots to determine the accuracy of the tabulation equipment during the test (Sec. 16-449).

• Requires any errors to be corrected before the approval of the equipment (Sec. 16-449).

• Requires electronic tabulating systems to be tested for accuracy and logic at least 7 days before use in early voting (Sec. 16-449).

• Requires the board and supervisors or elected officials to test on-site, electronic tabulation equipment within 50 days of the election date (Sec. 16-449).

• Authorizes requests for ballots at early voting locations before 7:00 PM on the Monday preceding the election day (Sec. 16-542).

• Requires individuals to submit written requests to add their name to the list of active early mail voters (Sec. 16-544).

• Requires counties with 500,000 or more citizens to obtain confirmation of each early mail voter’s address before each election cycle (Sec. 16-544).

• Requires counties with less than 500,000 citizens to obtain confirmation of each early mail voter’s address at least once within every 4-year period that contains at least 2 election cycles (Sec. 16-544).

• Requires early mail voting application forms to request (Sec. 16-544):

• Voter’s name;

• Residence address;

• Mailing address within the registered county;

• Date of birth; and

• Signature.

• Authorizes members of the armed forces to utilize mailing addresses outside of the registered county for early mail voting applications (Sec. 16-544).

• Requires the county to allow early mail voters to confirm their mailing addresses via (Sec. 16-544):

• Mailing the voter a notice to confirm or update their address;

• Calling the voter to provide a confirmation or update of their mailing address; or

• Providing voters the opportunity to update or confirm their mailing address via the county website portal.

• Requires mailed notices of early mail voting address requests to include a form that allows voters to confirm or update mailing address (Sec. 16-544).

• Requires early ballots to include an affidavit form that voters must sign and return via the mail (Sec. 16-547).

• Requires the county recorder to include printed instructions for early mail voters regarding the affidavit form (Sec. 16-547).

• Requires mailed ballots with signed affidavits to be received before 7:00 PM on the day of the election (Sec. 16-547).

• Authorizes mail ballots with signed affidavits to be hand delivered to the county recorder or an election official before 7:00 PM on the day of the election (Sec. 16-547).

• Authorizes mail ballots with signed affidavits to be deposited at any voting location within the county before 7:00 PM on the Friday preceding the election day (Sec. 16-547).

• Authorizes mail ballots with signed affidavits to be delivered to any voting location that offers on-site tabulation, if the delivery is done after 7:00 PM on the Friday preceding the day of the election (Sec. 16-547).

• Requires mail ballots with signed affidavits in counties without on-site tabulation to allow ballot deposits by (Sec. 16-547):

• Mailing the ballot to be received no later than 7:00 PM on the election day;

• Hand delivering the ballot to the county recorder or an election officer before 7:00 PM on the day of the election; 

• Depositing the ballot at any voting location before 7:00 PM on the Friday preceding the election day; or

• Depositing the ballot at any polling location after 7:00 PM on the Friday preceding the election day and before 7:00 PM on the day of the election with a valid ID.

• Requires early voters to conceal their ballots in an envelope before submitting the ballots (Sec. 16-548).

• Requires the county recorder or other election officials to count the number of early ballots and release the number on the county website, if the county does not offer on-site tabulation (Sec. 16-551).

• Requires early election board to check early mail voter’s affidavits (Sec. 16-552).

• Requires the county recorder or any election official to provide qualified voters with early voting ballots during the early voting period and on election day (Sec. 16-579).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that amends the state ballot counting process in Arizona.

Highlights:

• Requires the board of supervisors of each state county to establish election precincts within the county on or before October 1 of each year (Sec. 16-411).

• Requires each county board of supervisors to designate polling locations at least (Sec. 16-411):

• 20 days before a general or primary election; or

• 10 days before a special election.

• Authorizes polling locations in adjacent precincts, if a suitable location is not available within a county precinct (Sec. 16-411).

• Authorizes the combination or splitting of county precincts for administrative purposes (Sec. 16-411).

• Authorizes the board of supervisors to utilize voting centers (Sec. 16-411).

• Requires voting centers to provide accurate ballots for voters regardless of the voter’s registered precinct (Sec. 16-411).

• Requires the justice of the peace to designate a polling location at least 2 days before an election, if the board of supervisors fails to designate a location (Sec. 16-411).

• Authorizes the board to consolidate polling locations and/or tabulation of results, if no one appears on the ballot for an election in a precinct and if (Sec. 16-411):

• All voters are notified by mail at least 33 days before the election;

• A notice of the new polling location, hours, and voting assistance telephone number is provided; and 

• Voters receive information regarding early voting dates and absentee ballot requests.

• Authorizes the use of public schools as a voting location for any city, county, or state election (Sec. 16-411).

• Requires the Department of Administration to provide a list of appropriate, state-owned facilities that may be used as a voting location, beginning in 2026 (Sec. 16-411).

• Authorizes electioneering and political activity at a minimum of 75 feet away from any polling or voting location (Sec. 16-411).

• Requires the board of supervisors or election officials to test any automatic tabulation equipment to be used for election purposes (Sec. 16-449).

• Requires the publication of the time and date of the equipment test in a local newspaper at least 48 hours before the test (Sec. 16-449).

• Requires the equipment test to be witnessed by a minimum of two election inspectors, who may not be of the same political party (Sec. 16-449). 

• Requires the use of prefilled, pre-counted ballots to determine the accuracy of the tabulation equipment during the test (Sec. 16-449).

• Requires any errors to be corrected before the approval of the equipment (Sec. 16-449).

• Requires electronic tabulating systems to be tested for accuracy and logic at least 7 days before use in early voting (Sec. 16-449).

• Requires the board and supervisors or elected officials to test on-site, electronic tabulation equipment within 50 days of the election date (Sec. 16-449).

• Authorizes requests for ballots at early voting locations before 7:00 PM on the Monday preceding the election day (Sec. 16-542).

• Requires individuals to submit written requests to add their name to the list of active early mail voters (Sec. 16-544).

• Requires counties with 500,000 or more citizens to obtain confirmation of each early mail voter’s address before each election cycle (Sec. 16-544).

• Requires counties with less than 500,000 citizens to obtain confirmation of each early mail voter’s address at least once within every 4-year period that contains at least 2 election cycles (Sec. 16-544).

• Requires early mail voting application forms to request (Sec. 16-544):

• Voter’s name;

• Residence address;

• Mailing address within the registered county;

• Date of birth; and

• Signature.

• Authorizes members of the armed forces to utilize mailing addresses outside of the registered county for early mail voting applications (Sec. 16-544).

• Requires the county to allow early mail voters to confirm their mailing addresses via (Sec. 16-544):

• Mailing the voter a notice to confirm or update their address;

• Calling the voter to provide a confirmation or update of their mailing address; or

• Providing voters the opportunity to update or confirm their mailing address via the county website portal.

• Requires mailed notices of early mail voting address requests to include a form that allows voters to confirm or update mailing address (Sec. 16-544).

• Requires early ballots to include an affidavit form that voters must sign and return via the mail (Sec. 16-547).

• Requires the county recorder to include printed instructions for early mail voters regarding the affidavit form (Sec. 16-547).

• Requires mailed ballots with signed affidavits to be received before 7:00 PM on the day of the election (Sec. 16-547).

• Authorizes mail ballots with signed affidavits to be hand delivered to the county recorder or an election official before 7:00 PM on the day of the election (Sec. 16-547).

• Authorizes mail ballots with signed affidavits to be deposited at any voting location within the county before 7:00 PM on the Friday preceding the election day (Sec. 16-547).

• Authorizes mail ballots with signed affidavits to be delivered to any voting location that offers on-site tabulation, if the delivery is done after 7:00 PM on the Friday preceding the day of the election (Sec. 16-547).

• Requires mail ballots with signed affidavits in counties without on-site tabulation to allow ballot deposits by (Sec. 16-547):

• Mailing the ballot to be received no later than 7:00 PM on the election day;

• Hand delivering the ballot to the county recorder or an election officer before 7:00 PM on the day of the election; 

• Depositing the ballot at any voting location before 7:00 PM on the Friday preceding the election day; or

• Depositing the ballot at any polling location after 7:00 PM on the Friday preceding the election day and before 7:00 PM on the day of the election with a valid ID.

• Requires early voters to conceal their ballots in an envelope before submitting the ballots (Sec. 16-548).

• Requires the county recorder or other election officials to count the number of early ballots and release the number on the county website, if the county does not offer on-site tabulation (Sec. 16-551).

• Requires early election board to check early mail voter’s affidavits (Sec. 16-552).

• Requires the county recorder or any election official to provide qualified voters with early voting ballots during the early voting period and on election day (Sec. 16-579).

Full Bill Text