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REFERENCE TITLE: early ballots; tracking system |
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State of Arizona Senate Fifty-fifth Legislature Second Regular Session 2022
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SB 1411 |
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Introduced by Senator Mesnard
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AN ACT
amending section 16-550, Arizona Revised Statutes; appropriating monies; relating to early voting.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Section 16-550, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
16-550. Receipt of voter's ballot; cure period; tracking system
A. On receipt of the envelope containing the early ballot and the ballot affidavit, the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall compare the signatures thereon with the signature of the elector on the elector's registration record. If the signature is inconsistent with the elector's signature on the elector's registration record, the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall make reasonable efforts to contact the voter, advise the voter of the inconsistent signature and allow the voter to correct or the county to confirm the inconsistent signature. The county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall allow signatures to be corrected not later than the fifth business day after a primary, general or special election that includes a federal office or the third business day after any other election. If the signature is missing, the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall make reasonable efforts to contact the elector, advise the elector of the missing signature and allow the elector to add the elector's signature not later than 7:00 p.m. on election day. If satisfied that the signatures correspond, the recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall hold the envelope containing the early ballot and the completed affidavit unopened in accordance with the rules of the secretary of state.
B. The recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall thereafter safely keep the affidavits and early ballots in the recorder's or other officer's office and may deliver them for tallying pursuant to section 16-551. Tallying of ballots may begin immediately after the envelope and completed affidavit are processed pursuant to this section and delivered to the early election board.
C. The county recorder shall send a list of all voters who were issued early ballots to the election board of the precinct in which the voter is registered.
D. For a county with a population of more than one hundred thousand persons and that uses early ballots, THE county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall provide an early ballot tracking system that indicates whether the voter's early ballot has been received and whether the early ballot has been verified and tabulated. The county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall provide voters with access to the early ballot tracking system on the county's website.
D. E. This section does not apply to:
1. A special taxing district that is authorized pursuant to section 16-191 to conduct its own elections.
2. A special district mail ballot election that is conducted pursuant to article 8.1 of this chapter.
Sec. 2. Appropriation; secretary of state; early ballot tracking system grants; exemption
A. The sum of $700,000 is appropriated from the state general fund in fiscal year 2022-2023 to the secretary of state for establishing a grant program for counties and providing grants to counties for the purposes of establishing early ballot tracking systems as prescribed in section 16-550, Arizona Revised Statutes, as amended by this act.
B. Beginning July 1, 2022 and until December 31, 2023, the secretary of state may award grants of not more than $100,000 per county to counties that do not have an early ballot tracking system available on the county's website as of the effective date of this act.
C. The appropriation made in subsection A of this section is exempt from the provisions of section 35-190, Arizona Revised Statutes, relating to lapsing of appropriations, except all monies remain in unexpended and unencumbered on December 31, 2023 revert to the state general fund.
Sec. 3. Effective date
Section 16-550, Arizona Revised Statutes, as amended by this act, is effective from and after December 31, 2023.