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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, Second Regular Session
AMENDED
special election boards; voter registration
Purpose
Prohibits special election board members from collecting, processing or otherwise facilitating a new voter registration, or changing an existing voter registration for any other person the special election board worker is not assigned to assist, while acting for, or on behalf of, the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections.
Background
A county recorder or other officer in charge of elections may appoint any number of special election boards to facilitate voting for a qualified elector who is confined because of an illness or disability and therefore not able to go to the polls on the day of the election and who does not wish to vote by mailed early ballot. The qualified elector may make a verbal or signed written request to the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections to have a ballot personally delivered to the elector by a special election board at the elector's place of confinement. For a partisan election, each special election board must consist of two members, one from each of the two political parties who cast the highest number of votes in the state in the last preceding general election. For a nonpartisan election, each special election board must consist of two members with different political affiliations. A person who is a candidate for an office in an election is not eligible to serve on a special election board for that election (A.R.S. § 16-549; EPM Ch. 2 (IV)(A)).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Prohibits special election board members from collecting, processing or otherwise facilitating a new voter registration, or changing an existing voter registration for any other person the special election board worker is not assigned to assist, while acting for, or on behalf of, the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections.
2. Allows a special election board member to update any necessary voter registration information for the qualified electors that the special election board is assigned to assist in order to ensure that the elector's voter registration information is correct.
3. Makes technical changes.
4. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Amendments Adopted by Committee of the Whole
1. Allows a special election board worker to update necessary voter registration information for the qualified electors that the special election board worker is assigned to assist, in order to ensure that a qualified elector's voter registration information is correct and that the qualified elector receives the correct ballot.
2. Prohibits special election board workers from changing existing voter registrations for any other person at the facility or location.
Senate Action
JUDE 2/3/26 DP 4-3-0
Prepared by Senate Research
March 3, 2026
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