Assigned to JUDE                                                                                                                   FOR COMMITTEE

 


 

 

 


ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Fifty-Seventh Legislature, First Regular Session

 

FACT SHEET FOR S.B. 1375

 

voter registration rolls; internet access

Purpose

Requires the county recorder to provide public access to the voter registration rolls through the use of an internet portal that allows the information from the voter registration rolls to be downloaded and prohibits the county recorder from charging a fee to access or download the information. Repeals requirements and procedures related to requests for official precinct lists and public inspection of information derived from voter registration forms.

Background

The county recorder must prepare the official precinct registers from the original voter registration forms or electronic media that contain all qualified electors in each precinct within the county by the 10th day before the primary and general elections. The official precinct registers must contain at least the full names, party preference, date of registration and residence address of each qualified elector in the respective precincts. A county or state chairman of a political party may request that the county recorder provide a paper copy of the precinct list. The county recorder must provide a means for electronically reproducing the precinct lists in addition to preparing the lists and must deliver one electronic copy of each precinct list in the county without charge to the county chairman as prescribed, and one copy to the state chairman of each party that has at least four candidates, other than presidential electors, appearing on the ballot in that county for the current election. The electronic copies of the precinct lists that are delivered to the party chairmen must, for each elector, include: 1) name in full and appropriate title; 2) party preference; 3) date of registration; 4) residence address; 5) mailing address, if different from the residence address;
6) zip code; 7) telephone number, if provided; 8) birth year; 9) occupation, if provided; 10) voting history for all elections within the previous four years and any other information regarding registered voters that the officer in charge of elections maintains electronically and that is public information; and 11) all data relating to early voters, including ballot requests and returns.

Precinct registers and other lists and information derived from voter registration forms may only be used for: 1) purposes relating to a political activity, political campaign or election;
2) revising election district boundaries; or 3) any other purpose authorized by law. A county recorder, the Secretary of State (SOS) or an officer in charge of elections, on a request for an authorized use, must prepare additional copies of the list and furnish them to any requesting person on payment of a statutory fee that is based on the number of voter registration forms provided. Any person in possession of a precinct register or list may not allow the register or list to be used, bought, sold or transferred for any non-authorized purpose (A.R.S. ยง 16-168).

There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.


Provisions

1.   Requires the county recorder to provide public access to the voter registration rolls by way of an internet portal that allows the information to be downloaded.

2.   Prohibits the county recorder from charging a fee to access or download the information from the voter registration rolls.

3.   Specifies that information from the voter registration rolls may not be used for commercial purposes and may only be used for purposes related to:

a)   a political or political activity, political campaign or election;

b)   revising election district boundaries; or

c)   any other purpose authorized by law.

4.   Removes procedures related to the process by which a county or state party chairperson requests precinct lists from the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections and by which the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections delivers the precinct lists.

5.   Removes the requirement that the SOS establish a single format prescribing the manner and template in which all county recorders provide the precinct lists to the SOS to ensure that the precinct lists are uniform and identical in format for all counties.

6.   Removes the ability of the county recorder, SOS and other officers in charge of elections to charge a fee for providing additional official precinct lists to persons who request the lists.

7.   Repeals the requirement that voter registration records be available for public inspection at the office of the county recorder and the specification that certain personal information derived from voter registration forms be excluded from public inspection, including a registrant's:

a)   month and day of birth;

b)   social security number or any portion of the registrant's social security number;

c)   driver license or nonoperating identification license number;

d)   Indian census number;

e)   father's name or mother's maiden name;

f) state or country of birth; and

g)   records containing the voter's signature and email address.

8.   Removes the prohibition on releasing a voter's email address for any purpose.

9.   Repeals the prohibition on a person in possession of information derived from voter registration forms or precinct registers from distributing, posting or otherwise providing access to any portion of the information through the internet.

10.  Makes technical and conforming changes.

11.  Becomes effective on the general effective date.

Prepared by Senate Research

February 10, 2025

ZD/KS/ci