ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Fifty-sixth Legislature Second Regular Session
	Senate: ELEC DPA 4-3-1-0 | 3^rd Read 16-13-1-0 House: MOE DPA 5-3-0-1

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SB 1375: ballots; categories; count; identification number

Sponsor: Senator Bolick, LD 2

House Engrossed

Overview

Requires each ballot, except provisional ballots, to bear a unique identification number or other unique designation and sets guidelines for counting and printing physical ballots.

History

An election judge must compare the number of votes cast indicated on an electronic voting machine or tabulator with the number of votes cast listed on the poll list. The number of provisional ballots cast must be noted in a written report submitted to the officer in charge of elections. The county officer in charge of elections must conduct a hand count at a secure facility and follow hand count procedures established by the Secretary of State (A.R.S. § 16-602).

Laws 2022, Chapter 313 § 130 appropriated monies to the State Treasurer's Office to distribute on a proportional basis to county recorders that purchase ballot paper that uses specific security features like watermarks or unique ballot identifiers. The State Treasurer received $6,000,000 in FY 2025 for the Secretary of State to distribute to the counties to defray the costs of this legislation.  

Provisions

1. Mandates each ballot, except for provisional ballots, must bear a unique identification number or other unique designation. (Sec. 1)

2. Requires the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections to maintain a number count of printed ballots and of ballots generated in outlined categories. (Sec. 2)

3. Instructs the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections to post the counted ballot information on the county's website within two calendar days. (Sec. 2)

4. Asserts that election ballots in Arizona must comply with either of the following:

a) the ballots must be numbered consecutively or using an alphanumeric combination and must be numbered in a manner that allows a specific numeric range of ballots to be linked to a specific voting location; or

b) the ballots must be prenumbered and divided into batches of at least 200 for each election assigned to a voting location and must be recorded on a master log that must be publicly available for each jurisdiction to track which ballots are distributed to each voting location. (Sec. 2)

5. Allows the officer in charge of elections to choose between blank ballot stock with preprinted numbers or individually numbering ballots during the printed process. (Sec. 2)

6. Requires ballot printing equipment to be configured to track ballots. (Sec. 2)

7. Tasks the officer in charge of elections, with electronically generated ballots that are duplicated, to number the duplicate ballot by using one of the methods prescribed above. (Sec. 2)

8. Clarifies the methods for duplicating ballots outlined above do not authorize a method for printing or generating ballots not allowed by law. (Sec. 2)

9. Requires the officer in charge of elections to ensure each ballot cast in an election contains a unique identifier such as a serial number. (Sec. 2)

10. Prohibits the government from:

a) maintaining, or cause to maintain a database of unique identifies that link to a voter to the voter's ballot;

b) transcribing, or cause to transcribe, a unique identifier in any form or manner other than set by this legislation and as necessary to effectuate the intent of this legislation; and

c) asking or requiring a voter to reveal a unique identifier. (Sec. 2)

11.  States that this legislation applies to all primary, general and presidential preference elections and that unique identifiers can be used in other elections according to their specific requirements. (Sec. 2)

12. Transfers $6,000,000 from an appropriation made to the State Treasurer in FY 2025 to the Secretary of State for distribution to counties for costs of compliance with this legislation. (Sec. 4)

13. Defines involuntary. (Sec. 2)

14. Makes technical and conforming changes. (Sec. 1-3)

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                        SB 1375

Initials JH/MT          Page 0 House Engrossed

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