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ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Fifty-Seventh Legislature, First Regular Session

 

FACT SHEET FOR H.B. 2046

 

audits; precincts; voting centers

Purpose

Adds voting centers to the random pool of precincts within a county from which the ballots for the hand count audit must be selected and requires the hand count audit to begin immediately after the selection of precincts or voting centers, except as outlined for the early ballot hand count.

Background

The county officer in charge of elections must conduct a limited hand count audit on at least the greater of two percent of the precincts in the county or two precincts for each countywide primary, special, general and presidential preference election. The hand count must be conducted pursuant to statute and in accordance with procedures established by the Secretary of State (SOS) in the Elections Procedures Manual (EPM). The county political party chair for each political party entitled to continued representation on the state ballot or the chairperson's designee must conduct the selection of precincts to be hand counted by lot without the use of a computer. The hand count audit must begin within 24 hours of the closing of the polls and be completed before the canvassing of the election for that county. The results of the hand count audit must be provided to the SOS and made publicly available on the county's and the SOS's website. The EPM specifies that for counties that utilize vote centers, each vote center is considered to be a precinct or polling location and the officer in charge of elections must conduct a hand count of regular ballots from at least two percent of the vote centers, or two vote centers, whichever is greater (A.R.S. ยง 16-602; EPM, Ch.11 (III)(B)).

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

Provisions

1.   Adds voting centers to the random pool of precincts within a county from which the ballots for the hand count audit must be selected.

2.   Requires the unofficial vote totals from all voting centers, in addition to the precincts, to be made public before selecting the precincts or voting centers to be hand counted.

3.   Requires the hand count audit to begin:

a)   immediately after the selection of precincts or voting centers; and

b)   for the hand count of early ballots, within 24 hours after the completion of tabulation and immediately after the precincts or batches to be hand counted are selected.

4.   Makes technical and conforming changes.

5.   Becomes effective on the general effective date.

House Action

FMAE             1/22/25      DP       7-0-0-0

3rd Read          2/6/25                    59-0-1

 

Prepared by Senate Research

March 3, 2025

ZD/KS/ci