Arizona Republican senators are moving to erect new hurdles in the path of those who want to vote early.
A proposal by Sen. David Gowan (R-Sierra Vista) would give early voters less time to make a decision.
The measure cleared the Senate Appropriations Committee, which Gowan chairs, and awaits a final vote in the Senate. It impacts when Arizonans get their early ballot mailed to them, but also when they must mail ballots back.
SB 1593 would chop five days off the front end before early ballots have to be mailed out. Under his legislation, they could be mailed out no more than 22 days ahead of an election, down from 27 days. And even if people had previously requested an early ballot, it might not be sent out until 19 days before the election; current law mandates they go out at least 24 days.
The bill also says any ballot not actually postmarked by the prior Thursday is discarded — even if it shows up before close of business on Election Day. Right now any ballot delivered by the post office by 7 p.m. on Election Day gets counted.
Nothing in Gowan's bill precludes a voter from taking that early ballot to a polling place on Election Day, turning it in and instead getting a regular ballot.
But there is no longer the option for those who tend to wait until the last minute to give that early ballot to a neighbor to take the polls. A 2016 law pushed through by Republican legislators makes it a felony for voters who can't get to a polling place to give it to most others.
SB 1593 is one part of what has been a sustained effort by Republicans to change the rules following the returns which showed Joe Biden outpolling Donald Trump in Arizona, a result that some have refused to accept as valid. Proponents say all they're trying to do is ensure election integrity.