Arizona Republicans pass bill to end most Election Day early ballot drop-offs

Republican state lawmakers passed a bill that would change when and how Arizonans can vote in future elections, but the proposal looks unlikely to make it past Gov. Katie Hobbs’ veto stamp.

Modeled after Florida’s election rules, the proposal would no longer allow voters to drop off mail-in ballots, which are sent to voters weeks before an election, at polling places on Election Day. Supporters argue House Bill 2307 is needed to speed up the reporting of election results in Arizona, because those so-called “late early” ballots still need to go through a time-consuming signature verification process after they’re dropped off.

They blame the hundreds of thousands of so-called “late earlies” turned in each year for the perception that it takes Arizona longer to tabulate election results than other states.

The bill is backed by Republican lawmakers and the Arizona Association of Counties, which represents the state’s 15 counties that administer elections.

“According to Maricopa County, if this legislation is signed into law, 95% of votes will be reported on election night,”said Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert) in a statement. “We should no longer have to wait weeks to determine winners and losers. The madness needs to stop.”

The Arizona House of Representatives passed the bill on a party-line vote on Feb. 12, and Senate Republicans approved the legislation the next day.

But Democrats argue the bill is a solution in search of a problem.

Sens. Analise Ortiz (D-Phoenix) and Lauren Kuby (D-Tempe) said it takes Arizona about 11 to 13 days to count all ballots in most elections – which is in line with historical norms and many other states. They said it is Arizona’s status as a swing state – which means many elections come down to extremely tight margins – that delays election night projections and calls in close races, which are made by media organizations, not state or local election officials.

“It sounds to me like [the bill] is really about an issue that some legislators have with the AP and the Fox News projection desk,” Ortiz said.

Democrats argue the proposal would disenfranchise the nearly 265,000 voters who chose to drop-off mail-in ballots at the polls on Election Day in 2024, about 80% of which came from Maricopa County.

“This is being used as a convenient excuse to limit voter access in our state,” Kuby said.

But Republican lawmakers contend that concern is overblown.

“It's very obvious to me that there's been a lot of digging to try to find a problem that, frankly, does not exist in this bill … this bill expands voter access,” said Rep. Alexander Kolodin (R-Scottsdale), pointing to other provisions in the bill.

For example, under the bill, early in-person voting would be allowed up to the Monday preceding an election. The early in-person deadline is the Friday before the election under current law unless a voter experiences an emergency.

It would also require schools to serve as polling places, which could increase the available places where voters can cast a ballot – though Democrats argue that would take away a school’s ability to decline to operate that way if student safety is at risk.

HB 2307 would also still allow Arizonans to drop off early ballots on Election Day at a county recorder’s office, though critics argue that could still impose a significant burden on residents living in Arizona’s expansive rural counties, who may live hours away from that office.

Rep. Walt Blackman (R-Snowflake) did not share that concern.

“We don't have horses in rural Arizona anymore…everybody I know in rural Arizona, in my community, has no problem with voting,” he said.

But Democratic lawmakers who represent districts that include Arizona’s tribal nations said that burden is real.

“Now, if you want us to drive to our nearest recorder’s office, you’re asking me to drive three and a half hours on Election Day to drop off my ballot,” said Rep. Myron Tsosie (D-Chinle), a member of the Navajo Nation.

To become law, the proposal still needs to win the approval of Gov. Katie Hobbs, who has indicated she is likely to veto the bill without significant changes.

Votebeat reported that Hobbs' office is seeking significant concessions before it will consider eliminating Election Day early ballot drop offs, including legalizing same-day voter registration and restoring Arizona’s permanent early voting list.

Over the past week, Hobbs’ spokesman Christian Slater engaged in a prolonged online social media argument with the Arizona Republican Party, with both sides accusing the other of failing to negotiate in good faith.

“We went into negotiations in good faith, you refused common sense compromises to protect voting rights,” Slater said. “It’s clear you’re attempting to jam through legislation for your own partisan benefit.”

Republicans said Hobbs failed to send a representative to numerous committee hearings held on the bill before her office ultimately delivered its demands.

“All of the stakeholders who did bother to show up, by and large, had been satisfied, and we had gotten a great piece of legislation,” Kolodin said.

Republicans have a back-up plan in the event Hobbs’ vetoes the bill, though it would delay their plans to have the new voting rules in place in time for the next election.

The Arizona House of Representatives also passed HCR 2013, a separate piece of legislation that mirrors HB 2703. But, instead of going to Hobbs' desk, HCR 2013 would go before voters on the ballot in 2026 if it receives Senate approval.