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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Sixth Legislature, Second Regular Session
on-site ballot tabulation; secured containers
Purpose
Specifies that the deposit of voted early ballots and empty completed affidavit envelopes must be in a secured container or secured ballot box, rather than a drop box.
Background
Every county recorder or other officer in charge of elections may provide
for a qualified elector who presents valid identification to have the elector's
voted early ballot tabulated on-site at the elector's designated polling
location or voting center. After the elector presents valid identification and
signs the signature roster or electronic pollbook, the elector must proceed to
the tabulating equipment and, while under observation of an election official,
remove the early ballot from the completed affidavit envelope, deposit the empty
completed affidavit envelope in the secured and labeled drop box and insert the
ballot into a tabulating machine. The drop box for the deposit of empty
completed affidavits must be clearly labeled to indicate that the completed
affidavits are from ballots that were tabulated on-site and must be secure in a
manner similar to other ballot boxes at the voting location. An elector that
does not present valid identification must either deposit the early ballot,
while still in the ballot's affidavit envelope, in an official drop box or
proceed to the area designated for election day voting to surrender the early
ballot to the election board for retention and not for tabulating. The elector
may then vote a provisional ballot. A qualified elector who lawfully brings
another elector's voted and sealed early ballot to a voting location must
deposit the other elector's ballot in the appropriate ballot drop box before
entering the on-site tabulation area to tabulate the elector's own early ballot
(A.R.S. §§ 16-579.01
and
16-579.02).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Specifies that a voter's completed affidavit envelope that is empty for the purpose of on-site tabulation must be deposited in a secured and labeled container for that purpose, rather than a drop box.
2. Specifies that the deposit of an elector's voted early ballot must be in a secured ballot box, rather than a drop box.
3. Makes technical changes.
4. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
February 1, 2024
AN/KS/cs