ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Fifty-fifth Legislature

First Regular Session

HB 2039: elections; hand counts; five percent

Sponsor: Representative Griffin, LD 14

Committee on Government & Elections

Overview

Expands the hand count threshold to at least five percent of precincts in the county or five precincts, whichever is greater.

History

Current statute requires the county officer in charge of the election to conduct a hand count at one or more secure facilities for each countywide primary, special, general and presidential preference election. This hand count is required to be conducted as prescribed by statute and the Elections and Procedures Manual established by the Secretary of State. The hand count must be conducted by selecting, at random from a pool consisting of every precinct in that county, at least two percent of the precincts in that county, or two precincts, whichever is greater. The selection of the precincts must not begin until all ballots voted in the precinct polling places have been delivered to the central counting center.

At one or more times selected by the chairman of the political parties entitled to continued representation on the ballot and after the electronic tabulation of early ballots, the chairmen or the chairmen's designees must randomly select one or more batches of early ballots that have been tabulated for a postelection manual audit. From those sequestered early ballots, the chairmen must randomly select a number equal to one percent of the total number of early ballots cast or 5,000 early ballots, whichever is less. From those randomly selected early ballots, the county officer in charge of elections will conduct a manual audit of the same races that are being hand counted pursuant to statute (A.R.S. § 16-602).

Provisions

1. Increases the hand count threshold, from two, to at least five percent of precincts in the county, or five precincts, whichever is greater. (Sec. 1)

2. Stipulates that for counties using one or more voting centers on election day, a voting center is considered as a precinct for purposes of conducting the hand count. (Sec. 1)

3. Expands the manual audit threshold, from one, to five percent of the total number of early ballots cast. (Sec. 1)

4. Makes a technical change. (Sec. 1)

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