HCR2013 - 571R

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring:

1. Under the power of the referendum, as vested in the Legislature, the following measure, relating to elections, is enacted to become valid as a law if approved by the voters and on proclamation of the Governor:

AN ACT

amending title 16, chapter 4, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding sections 16-407.04 and 16-407.05; Amending sections 16-544, 16-547, 16-548, 16-550 and 16-560.01, Arizona Revised Statutes; AMENDING TITLE 16, CHAPTER 6, ARTICLE 1.2, ARIZONA REVISED STATUTES, BY ADDING SECTION 16-919; relating to elections.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Title 16, chapter 4, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding sections 16-407.04 and 16-407.05, to read:

START_STATUTE16-407.04. Donations from a foreign source; election administration; certification; records; reports; civil penalty; definitions

a. a government entity in this state may not use monies or in-kind goods or services that are donated, directly or indirectly, by a foreign GOVERNMENT or any foreign nongovernmental source for election ADMINISTRATION.

b. A person or vendor that PROVIDES services to a government entity for election administration shall provide a certification to the secretary of state that includes a dated and sworn statement, under penalty of perjury, that the person is not knowingly the recipient, directly or indirectly, of donations from a foreign source. The person shall annually update the certification. If the person obtains information that was unknown at the time of the initial certification, the person shall update the initial certification within five business days to reflect the new information and shall include a new statement that the person is not knowingly the recipient, directly or indirectly, of donations from a foreign source. THIS subsection DOES NOT APPLY TO A PERSON OR ORGANIZATION WHEN PROVIDING A FACILITY THAT SERVES AS a VOTING LOCATION.

c. The secretary of state shall require government entities to provide to the secretary of state a quarterly report that lists any person or vendor that provides services to that government entity for election administration. The secretary of state shall notify the government ENTITY by email if the government ENTITY fails to file its quarterly report prescribed by this section and advise the government ENTITY THAT section 16-407.05 provides for possible enforcement actions.

d. The secretary of state shall maintain records of the certifications prescribed by this section and shall post these certifications on the secretary of state's website.

e. A person or vendor that fails to provide the certification PRESCRIBED by this section or that provides an inaccurate certification to the secretary of state invalidates any agreement with the government entity, and the state, county or local government entity is barred from entering into or continuing any agreement with that person.

f. A person or vendor that knowingly fails to provide an accurate initial or updated certification as prescribed by this section is liable for a civil penalty in the amount of three times the money paid or contracted to be paid by the government entity, which shall be paid to the first successful litigant under this section. The controlling person of any vendor shall be jointly and severally liable to pay that amount.

G. For the purposes of this section:

1. Foreign government does not include federally recognized sovereign tribal nations.

2. "Foreign nongovernmental source":

(a) Means an individual who is not a United States citizen or national.

(b) Does not include federally recognized sovereign tribal nations.

3. "Person":

(a) Means an individual or a corporation or other entity as defined in section 16-901.

(b) dOES NOT INCLUDE POLL WORKERS. END_STATUTE

START_STATUTE16-407.05. Enforcement; private right of action

a. Any qualified elector or any state officer acting in the officer's official capacity may bring a civil action to do any or all of the following:

1. Enjoin a violation of section 16-407.04.

2. Enforce any provision of section 16-407.04.

b. If the claimant prevails in an action brought under subsection a of this section, the court shall award:

1. Injunctive relief sufficient to prevent the defendant from violating section 16-407.04 or engaging in acts that aid or abet violations of section 16-407.04.

2. damages in the amount of $1,000 per day from the date of noncompliance until the defendant comes into compliance, adjusted for inflation as prescribed by the consumer price index along with any civil penalty amounts prescribed by section 16-407.04.

3. Costs and attorney fees.

c. The remedies, duties, prohibitions and penalties prescribed by this section and section 16-407.04 are in addition to all other causes of action, remedies and penalties provided by law. END_STATUTE

Sec. 2. Section 16-544, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE16-544. Active early voting list; unique number; civil penalty; violation; classification; definitions

A. Any voter may request to be included on a list of voters to receive an early ballot by mail for any election for which the county voter registration roll is used to prepare the election register as prescribed by this section. The county recorder of each county shall maintain the active early voting list as part of the voter registration roll and shall issue a unique early voter ID number to each voter on the list. The early voter ID number does not constitute a public record and shall be protected as personal identifying information.

B. In order to be included on the active early voting list, the voter shall make a written request specifically requesting that the voter's name be added to the active early voting list for all elections in which the applicant is eligible to vote and shall confirm the voter's address each election cycle thereafter to obtain an early ballot for ELECTIONS in that election cycle. An early voter request form shall conform to requirements prescribed in the instructions and procedures manual issued pursuant to section 16-452. The application shall allow for the voter to provide the voter's name, residence address, mailing address in the voter's county of residence, date of birth and signature and shall state that the voter is attesting that the voter is a registered voter who is eligible to vote in the county of residence. The voter shall not list a mailing address that is outside of this state for the purpose of the active early voting list unless the voter is an absent uniformed services voter or overseas voter as defined in the uniformed and overseas citizens absentee voting act (P.L. 99-410; 52 United States Code section 20310). In lieu of the application, the applicant may submit a written request that contains the required information.

C. On receipt of a request to be included on the active early voting list, the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall verify the voter's IDENTITY and address using the voter's early voter ID number or, for voters who have not been PREVIOUSLY issued an early voter ID number, compare the signature on the request form with the voter's signature on the voter's registration form and, if the request is from the voter, shall mark the voter's registration file as an active early ballot request. If the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections is unable to verify the voter's identity and address as prescribed by this subsection, the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall reject the voter's application to be placed on the active early voting list.

D. Not less than ninety days before any polling place election scheduled in March or August, the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall mail to all voters who are eligible for the election and who are included on the active early voting list an election notice by nonforwardable mail that is marked with the statement required by the postmaster to receive an address correction notification. If an election is not formally called by a jurisdiction by the one hundred eightieth day before the election, the recorder or other officer in charge of elections is not required to send the election notice. The notice shall include the dates of the elections that are the subject of the notice, the dates that the voter's ballot is expected to be mailed and the address where the ballot will be mailed. If the upcoming election is a partisan open primary election and the voter is not registered as a member of one of the political parties that is recognized for purposes of that primary, the notice shall include information on the procedure for the voter to designate a political party ballot. The notice shall be delivered with return postage prepaid and shall also include a means for the voter to do any of the following:

1. Change the mailing address for the voter's ballot to another location in the voter's county of residence.

2. Update the voter's residence address in the voter's county of residence.

3. Request that the voter not be sent a ballot for the upcoming election or elections indicated on the notice.

E. If the notice that is mailed to the voter is returned undeliverable by the postal service, the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall take the necessary steps to contact the voter at the voter's new residence address in order to update that voter's address or to move the voter to inactive status as prescribed in section 16-166, subsection A. If a voter is moved to inactive status, the voter shall be removed from the active early voting list. If the voter is removed from the active early voting list, the voter shall only be added to the active early voting list again if the voter submits a new request pursuant to this section.

F. Not later than the first day of early voting, the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall mail an early ballot to all eligible voters included on the active early voting list in the same manner prescribed in section 16-542, subsection C. If the voter has not returned the notice or otherwise notified the election officer within forty-five days before the election that the voter does not wish to receive an early ballot by mail for the election or elections indicated, the ballot shall automatically be scheduled for mailing.

G. If a voter who is on the active early voting list and who requested an early ballot for a partisan primary election is not registered as a member of a recognized political party and fails to notify the county recorder of the voter's choice for political party ballot within forty-five days before a partisan open primary election, the following apply:

1. The voter shall not automatically be sent a ballot for that partisan open primary election only and the voter's name shall remain on the active early voting list for future elections.

2. To receive an early ballot for the primary election, the voter shall submit the voter's choice for political party ballot to the county recorder.

H. After a voter has requested to be included on the active early voting list, the voter shall be sent an early ballot by mail automatically for any election at which a voter at that residence address is eligible to vote. the voter may continue to be on the active early voting list if the voter confirms the voter's mailing address once each election CYCLE. the COUNTY recorder shall allow the voter to confirm the voter's address by TELEPHONE, in writing or online, and shall provide for at least two of those methods of confirmation. the voter shall be sent an early ballot by mail until any of the following occurs:

1. the voter fails to confirm the voter's address during an election cycle.

1. 2. The voter requests in writing to be removed from the active early voting list.

2. 3. The voter's registration or eligibility for registration is moved to inactive status or canceled as otherwise provided by law.

3. 4. The notice sent by the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections is returned undeliverable and the county recorder or officer in charge of elections is unable to contact the voter to determine the voter's continued desire to remain on the list.

4. 5. The voter fails to vote an early ballot in all elections for two consecutive election cycles. For the purposes of this paragraph, "election" means any regular primary or regular general election for which there was a federal race on the ballot or for which a city or town candidate primary or first election or city or town candidate second, general or runoff election was on the ballot. This paragraph does not apply to:

(a) A special taxing district that is authorized pursuant to section 16-191 to conduct its own elections.

(b) A special district mail ballot election that is conducted pursuant to article 8.1 of this chapter.

I. A voter may make a written request at any time to be removed from the active early voting list. The request shall include the voter's name, residence address, date of birth and signature. On receipt of a completed request to remove a voter from the active early voting list, the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall remove the voter's name from the list as soon as practicable.

J. An absent uniformed services voter or overseas voter as defined in the uniformed and overseas citizens absentee voting act (P.L. 99-410; 52 United States Code section 20310) is eligible to be placed on the active early voting list pursuant to this section.

K. A voter's failure to vote an early ballot once received does not constitute grounds to remove the voter from the active early voting list, except that a county recorder shall remove a voter from the active early voting list if both of the following apply:

1. The county recorder or other officer in charge of elections complies with subsection M of this section.

2. The voter fails to vote using an early ballot in all of the following elections for two consecutive election cycles:

(a) A regular primary and regular general election for which there was a federal race on the ballot.

(b) A city or town candidate primary or first election and a city or town candidate second, general or runoff election.

L. On or before January 15 of each odd-numbered year, the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall send a notice to each voter who is on the active early voting list and who did not vote an early ballot in all elections for two consecutive election cycles as prescribed by subsection K of this section. If the voter has provided the voter's telephone or mobile phone number or email address to the county recorder, the county recorder may additionally provide the notice to the voter by telephone call, text message or email. The notice shall inform the voter that if the voter wishes to remain on the active early voting list, the voter shall do both of the following with the notice received:

1. Confirm in writing the voter's desire to remain on the active early voting list.

2. Return the completed notice to the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections within ninety days after the notice is sent to the voter. The notice shall be signed by the voter and shall contain the voter's address and date of birth.

M. If a voter receives a notice as prescribed by subsection L of this section and the voter fails to respond within the ninety-day period, the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall remove the voter's name from the active early voting list.

N. A candidate, political committee or other organization may distribute active early voting list request forms to voters. If the active early voting list request forms include a printed address for return, that address shall be the political subdivision that will conduct the election. Failure to use the political subdivision as the return addressee is punishable by a civil penalty of up to three times the cost of the production and distribution of the active early voting list request.

O. All original and completed active early voting list request forms that are received by a candidate, political committee or other organization shall be submitted within six business days after receipt by a candidate or political committee or eleven days before the election day, whichever is earlier, to the political subdivision that will conduct the election. Any person, political committee or other organization that fails to submit a completed active early voting list request form within the prescribed time is subject to a civil penalty of up to $25 per day for each completed form withheld from submittal. Any person who knowingly fails to submit a completed active early voting list request form before the submission deadline for the election immediately following the completion of the form is guilty of a class 6 felony.

P. A person who receives an early ballot at an address at which another person formerly resided, without voting the ballot or signing the envelope, shall write "not at this address" on the envelope and place the mail piece in a United States postal service collection box or other mail receptacle. On receipt, the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall proceed in the manner prescribed in subsection E of this section.

Q. When the county recorder receives confirmation from another county that a person registered has registered to vote in that other county, the county recorder shall remove that person from the active early voting list.

R. If the county recorder receives credible information that a person has registered to vote in a different county, the county recorder shall confirm the person's voter registration with that other county and, on confirmation, shall remove that person from the county's active early voting list pursuant to subsection Q of this section.

S. For the purposes of this section, "election cycle" means the two-year period beginning on January 1 in the year after a statewide general election or, for cities and towns, the two-year period beginning on the first day of the calendar quarter after the calendar quarter in which the city's or town's second, runoff or general election is scheduled and ending on the last day of the calendar quarter in which the city's or town's immediately following second, runoff or general election is scheduled, however that election is designated by the city or town.

t. For the purposes of Arizona law:

1. "Election cycle" means the period between a general election and the subsequent general election.

2. "Voter's signature on the voter's registration form" and "SIGNATURE of the elector on or in the elector's registration record" and all SUBSTANTIALLY similar phrases shall have the identical meaning of being the signature the voter provided on the form prescribed in section 16-152.END_STATUTE

Sec. 3. Section 16-547, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE16-547. Mail affidavit; form

A. The early ballot shall be accompanied by an envelope bearing on the front the name, official title and post office address of the recorder or other officer in charge of elections and on the other side a printed affidavit and space for voter to write the voter's early voter ID number that can be concealed by the voter when delivered or mailed to the county recorder, the affidavit shall include a statement in substantially the following form:

I declare the following under penalty of perjury: I am a registered voter in ___________ county Arizona, I have not voted and will not vote in this election in any other county or state, I understand that knowingly voting more than once in any election is a class 5 felony and I voted the enclosed ballot and signed this mail affidavit personally unless noted below.

If the voter was assisted by another person in marking the ballot, complete the following:

I declare the following under penalty of perjury: At the registered voter's request I assisted the voter identified in this mail affidavit with marking the voter's ballot, I marked the ballot as directly instructed by the voter, I provided the assistance because the voter was physically unable to mark the ballot solely due to illness, injury or physical limitation and I understand that there is no power of attorney for voting and that the voter must be able to make the voter's selection even if the voter cannot physically mark the ballot.

Name of voter assistant: ___________________

Address of voter assistant: ________________

B. The face of each envelope in which a ballot is sent to a federal postcard applicant or in which a ballot is returned by the applicant to the recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall be in the form prescribed in accordance with the uniformed and overseas citizens absentee voting act (P.L. 99-410; 52 United States Code section 20301). Otherwise, the envelopes shall be the same as those used to send ballots to, or receive ballots from, other early voters.

C. The officer charged by law with the duty of preparing ballots at any election shall ensure that the early ballot is sent in an envelope that states substantially the following:

If the addressee does not reside at this address, mark the unopened envelope "return to sender" and deposit it in the United States mail.

D. The county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall supply printed instructions to early voters that direct them to sign the mail affidavit, mark the ballot and return both in the enclosed self-addressed envelope that complies with section 16-545, and:

1. Through 2025, the instructions shall include the following statement:

In order to be valid and counted, the ballot and mail affidavit must be delivered to the office of the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections or may be deposited at any polling place in the county not later than 7:00 p.m. on election day. The ballot will not be counted without the voter's signature on the envelope.

(WARNING — It is a felony to offer or receive any compensation for a ballot.)

2. Beginning in 2026 and until 2027, the instructions shall include the following statement:

In order to be valid and counted, the mail affidavit that contains the mail ballot must have the voter's signature early voter ID number on the envelope and must be returned to the office of the county recorder by any one of the following methods:

(a) Delivering it to the office of the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections not later than 7:00 p.m. on election day.

(b) Depositing it at any polling place in the county not later than 7:00 p.m. on election day.

(c) Bringing the ballot to any polling place in the county not later than 7:00 p.m. on election day and choosing to present valid identification that complies with section 16-579, subsection A, paragraph 1, Arizona Revised Statutes.

3. Beginning in 2027, the instructions shall include the following statement:

In order to be valid and counted, the mail affidavit that contains the mail ballot must have the voter's early voter ID number on the envelope and must be returned to the office of the county recorder by one of the following methods:

(a) Depositing it in a secure receptacle at any early voting location in the county not later than 7:00 p.m. on the Friday before election day.

(b) Delivering it to the office of the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections not later than 7:00 p.m. on election day.

(c) On election day, bringing it to the office of the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections which, on election day, is the only valid location for receiving the voted mail ballot by hand delivery.

(WARNING — It is a felony to offer or receive any compensation for a ballot.)

E. The printed instructions prescribed by subsection D of this section shall also include the following information regarding section 16-1005, subsections H and I in substantially the following form:

A person may only handle or return their the person's own ballot or the ballot of family members, household members or persons for whom they are the person is a caregiver. It is unlawful under section 16-1005, Arizona Revised Statutes, to handle or return the ballot of any other person. END_STATUTE

Sec. 4. Section 16-548, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE16-548. Preparation and transmission of ballot

A. The early voter shall make and sign the affidavit and shall then mark his the ballot in such a manner that his the early voter's vote cannot be seen. The early voter shall fold the ballot, if a paper ballot, so as to conceal the vote and deposit the voted ballot in the envelope provided for that purpose, which shall be securely sealed and, together with the affidavit, delivered or mailed to the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections of the political subdivision in which the elector is registered or deposited by the voter or the voter's agent at any polling place in the county. Through 2026, in order to be counted and valid, the ballot must be received by the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections or deposited at any polling place in the county no not later than 7:00 p.m. on election day.

B. Beginning in 2027, the voted ballot and affidavit must be deposited in a secure receptacle at any early voting location in the county not later than 7:00 p.m. on the Friday before election day, delivered to the office of the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections not later than 7:00 p.m. on election day or, on election day, brought by hand delivery to the office of the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections before 7:00 p.m., which is the only valid location for receiving the voted mail ballot by hand delivery on election day.

B. C. If the early voter is an overseas citizen, a qualified elector absent from the United States or in the United States service, a spouse or dependent residing with the early voter or a qualified elector of a special district mail ballot election as provided in article 8.1 of this chapter, the early voter may subscribe to the affidavit before and obtain the signature and military identification number or passport number, if available, of any person who is a United States citizen eighteen years of age or older. END_STATUTE

Sec. 5. Section 16-550, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE16-550. Receipt of voter's ballot; cure period; tracking system

A. Except for early ballots tabulated as prescribed in section 16-579.02 or, beginning in 2026, received at a voting location after a voter's identification is confirmed as prescribed by section 16-579, subsection A, paragraph 4, on receipt of the envelope containing the early ballot and the mail ballot affidavit, the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall conduct signature verification as prescribed by this section and section 16-550.01. The county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall compare the signature and early voter ID number on the envelope with the signature of the elector and the elector's name and address on the elector's registration record as prescribed by section 16-550.01 and on the early ballot security envelope. 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 election is a primary, general or special election that includes a federal office, in addition to the office's regular business hours, the county recorder's and any city or town clerks' offices that have an agreement with a county to be used as locations at which a voter may submit proof of identification shall be open during regular business hours to allow for curing signatures during the Friday and weekend before and the Friday and weekend after the election. Regular business hours include at a minimum 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. 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 and after compliance with section 16-550.01, the recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall hold the envelope containing the early ballot and the completed mail affidavit unopened in accordance with the rules of the secretary of state. Signatures that cannot be verified pursuant to section 16-550.01 or cured pursuant to this section shall be rejected. If the ballot is a conditional provisional ballot, the voter shall provide proof of identification to the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections 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. Beginning with the first missing or mismatched signature that is identified after the period of early voting begins through the Monday immediately preceding the election, the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall submit daily to the political parties that are qualified for continued representation on the state ballot an updated list of all voters whose signatures are missing or inconsistent with the voter's signature on the voter's registration record. Beginning on the Wednesday immediately following the election through the end of the signature cure period after a primary, general or special election that includes a federal office, or the third business day after the election for any other election, the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall submit daily to the political parties that are qualified for continued representation on the state ballot an updated list of all voters whose signatures are inconsistent with the voter's signature on the voter's registration record and all voters who voted with a conditional provisional ballot. This list of voters whose signatures require curing shall include for those voters all voter information that is provided to the political parties that are qualified for continued representation on the state ballot as prescribed by section 16-168.

B. The recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall thereafter safely keep the mail ballot affidavits and early ballots in the recorder's or other officer's office and may deliver them for tallying pursuant to section 16-551.

C. Processing and tabulation of individual ballots may begin immediately after the envelope and completed mail ballot affidavit are processed pursuant to this section and delivered to the early election board and shall continue without delay until completed. Until election day, the early election board and the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall:

1. Not access an aggregated complete results file of early voting and vote by mail ballots that were processed and tabulated by the end of the early voting period.

2. Not produce for internal or external use an aggregated results report or associated files of complete results.

3. Only produce a partial results report or associated files if it is part of the internal preparation for the hand count pursuant to section 16-602 or for the logic and accuracy testing required pursuant to section 16-449.

4. Not publicly release complete or partial results, whether for internal or external use, until all precincts have reported or one hour after the closing of the polls on election day, whichever is earlier.

D. The county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall post on its website within forty-eight hours after all ballot tabulation is complete all system log files and other similar files from the election management system that verify compliance with subsection C of this section.

E. 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.

F. For a county 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 sent to be tabulated or rejected. 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.

G. 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. END_STATUTE

Sec. 6. Section 16-550.01, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE16-550.01. Signature verification; procedures

A. Except for early ballots tabulated as prescribed in section 16-579.02, on receipt of the envelope containing the early ballot and the ballot affidavit, the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall conduct signature verification as prescribed by this section.

B. The evaluator shall examine all the broad characteristics of the signature. If the broad characteristics of the signature on the ballot affidavit are clearly consistent with the broad characteristics of the voter's signature in the voter's registration record, the evaluator may accept the signature as valid COMPARE THE EARLY VOTER ID NUMBER ON THE ENVELOPE TO THE VOTER'S NAME AND ADDRESS IN THE VOTER'S REGISTRATION RECORD AND ON THE EARLY BALLOT SECURITY ENVELOPE. IF THE EARLY VOTER ID NUMBER MATCHES THE NAME AND ADDRESS IN THE VOTER'S REGISTRATION RECORD AND ON THE EARLY BALLOT SECURITY ENVELOPE, THE ENVELOPE SHALL BE OPENED AND THE BALLOT COUNTED. IF THE EARLY VOTER ID NUMBER DOES NOT MATCH THE NAME OR ADDRESS IN THE VOTER'S REGISTRATION RECORD THE PROCEDURES SET FORTH IN SECTION 16-550 FOR CURING SHALL BE FOLLOWED. IF THE ENVELOPE CANNOT BE VERIFIED PURSUANT TO THIS SUBsection or CURED PURSUANT TO SECTION 16-550, THE EARLY BALLOT SECURITY ENVELOPE SHALL NOT BE OPENED AND THE BALLOT THEREIN SHALL NOT BE COUNTED.

C. If the evaluator finds discrepancies between the signature on the ballot affidavit and the voter's signature in the voter's registration record, the evaluator shall examine the local characteristics of the signature. If the local characteristics of the signature on the ballot affidavit are clearly consistent with the local characteristics of the voter's signature in the voter's registration record, the evaluator may accept the signature as valid.

D. If the evaluator finds a combination of broad and local characteristic differences between the signature on the ballot affidavit and the voter's signature in the voter's registration record, the evaluator shall denote the signature for a second review that shall be conducted by an evaluator using the same standards prescribed by this section.

E. Electronic signatures shall be evaluated as prescribed by this section, except that electronic signatures that use a typed font shall be rejected.

F. The legislature intends that the illustrations of broad and local characteristics in the 2020 secretary of state's signature verification guide be used as reference.

G. For the purposes of this section:

1. "Broad characteristics" means all of the following:

(a) The type of writing.

(b) The speed of writing.

(d) Overall size and proportions.

(e) Position of the signature.

(f) Spelling and punctuation.

2. "Evaluator" means the individual who is designated by the county recorder or officer in charge of elections and who conducts signature verification.

3. "Local characteristics" means all of the following:

(a) Internal spacing.

(b) The size or proportions of a letter or letter combination.

(d) The presence or absence of pen lifts.

(e) Beginning and ending strokes.

4. "Signature verification" means the process of manually comparing the signature on a voter's affidavit envelope or ballot affidavit with the voter's signature in the voter's registration record.

H. The legislature intends by this section to codify procedures based on the 2020 secretary of state signature verification guide, provided that in the event of any conflict between the guide and this section, this section controls. This section is not intended to modify the grounds on which a party-appointed challenger may challenge an early ballot. This section does not require signature evaluators to examine broad or local characteristics one at a time. This section is not intended to require an exact match. END_STATUTE

Sec. 7. Title 16, chapter 6, article 1.2, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 16-919, to read:

START_STATUTE16-919. Foreign contributions prohibited; ballot measures; certification; definitions

a. A FOREIGN GOVERNMENT SHALL NOT knowingly GIVE AND A PERSON, entity OR COMMITTEE SHALL NOT knowingly ACCEPT OR USE MONIES OR IN-KIND GOODS OR SERVICES that are CONTRIBUTED BY A FOREIGN GOVERNMENT or a foreign nongovernmental source TO INFLUENCE THE OUTCOME OF AN ELECTION ON a BALLOT MEASURE.

b. a person, entity or committee that is required to file campaign finance reports pursuant to section 16-926 shall certify under penalty of perjury in those reports that the person, entity or committee has not accepted or used monies or in-kind goods or services in violation of subsection a of this section.

C. For the purposes of this section:

1. Foreign government does not include federally recognized sovereign tribal nations.

2. "Foreign nongovernmental source":

(a) Means an individual who is not a United States citizen or national.

(b) Does not include federally recognized sovereign tribal nations. END_STATUTE

Sec. 8. Emergency

This act may be cited as the "Florida-Style Election Act".

2. The Secretary of State shall submit this proposition to the voters at the next general election as provided by article IV, part 1, section 1, Constitution of Arizona.