Governor Doug Ducey on Monday signed Senator Kelly Townsend’s SB1477, a bill that closes what has been dubbed the “Felon Loophole.” The bill won bipartisan support in both chambers of the Legislature.
“I am grateful that the governor has signed my commonsense bill to close a loophole that allowed felons to get a ballot,” said Townsend. “We have so much more to do when it comes to election security and it is my hope that we can take a much larger bite at the apple before the 2022 election.”
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In Arizona, felons are not permitted to register to vote, and by all accounts the system works fairly well at blocking known felons from registering. Where it fails is removing voters after they are convicted of felonies.
The bill directs the courts to transmit a record of felony convictions to the Secretary of State’s office on a monthly basis, so that the voter registration of those voters can be cancelled.