On Thursday, the Arizona Legislature overwhelmingly passed what is being lauded as a landmark election integrity package on a surprisingly bipartisan vote.
The legislation, HB 2785, sponsored by Rep. Alex Kolodin, provides a comprehensive solution to correct election deadline conflicts, allowing Arizona to complete its election tasks by the new federal deadline.
Supporters say the bill also puts into law critical election integrity reforms to improve election procedures and strengthen voter confidence.
“I am incredibly grateful to our Republican majority for helping me deliver on the first priority of our grassroots. Real, and meaningful, election reform,” Kolodin told the Arizona Daily Independent. “This was a team effort, and took many months of incredible effort by many individuals. Hobbs tried to get out of the bill twice but we kept her to her word because, in republican government, the Legislature is supreme.”
“Politics is the art of the possible, and when Republicans stick together, we can achieve the impossible, like getting Katie Hobbs to sign real election reforms into law,” said Kolodin. “Arizona’s voters can rest assured that the 2024 election will be more secure, free, and fair than those that have gone before.”
“Our goal was a clean fix, and this bill comes very close. It’s not perfect, but it’s a true bipartisan compromise that will protect voters and help keep our elections, free, fair, and secure,” said House, Democratic Leader, Lupe Contreras.
Contrary to false claims made by Rep. Jacqueline Parker, who along with her mother, Rep. Barbara Parker, were the only votes against the bill in the House, the hard fought for and important signature verification portion of the bill will be in effect for the 2024 election cycle.
The failure to employ a standardized signature verification processes involving mail-in ballots has haunted elections across Arizona since at least 2020. The standards are now codified through Kolodin’s bill and should eliminate some of the sloppier practices seen employed in Arizona’s largest county, Maricopa.
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The bill, championed by House and Senate Republicans, is expected to improve Arizona’s election systems with time-saving reforms that encourage efficiency, and transparency, and it will be transmitted to the Governor and signed on Friday.
As part of the reforms outlined in HB 2785:
• County elections officials will be provided with an extra 19 days in the primary election calendar and an extra 17 days in the general election calendar in order to meet several important federal deadlines.
• Men and women who are serving in our armed forces overseas will be guaranteed the opportunity to cast a ballot in our elections.
• For the first time since mail-in ballots were introduced in Arizona, signature verification standards will be enshrined into statute.
• This year, a hard count of early ballots dropped off at the polls by voters on election day will be required to improve security and confidence that all lawful votes will be counted accurately.
• Starting in 2026, voters may bring their early ballots to the polls on election day and have them counted immediately after showing identification, allowing voters to skip signature verification so that results can be tabulated in a prompt manner and the correct winner declared in a timelier fashion.
• Also starting in 2026, voters will have more choices for polling locations since state and county buildings will be designated as additional official sites.
“This legislation is going to go a long way in improving the integrity and accountability of our elections.” said State Representative David Cook. “I’m proud we were able to produce a bill that will speed our election results, increase voter confidence, give our counties the additional time they need to do their work, and protect our military service members that are serving overseas.”