A GOP-backed bill that passed the Arizona House on Monday would strip the attorney general, currently Democrat Kris Mayes, of her legal authority to approve the manual counties use as guidance to administer elections.
State law currently requires both the governor and attorney general to approve drafts of the Elections Procedures Manual.
HB 2631, sponsored by Rep. Alexander Kolodin (R-Scottsdale), would leave the governor’s role intact but strip that authority from the AG and instead give it to the chairs of the House and Senate election committees, both of whom are now Republicans.
“We’ve got basically the executive branch solely responsible for making a segment of Arizona election law and it doesn't work. That’s why our framers gave that power largely to the legislative branch,” Kolodin said.
Drafts of the manual have become contentious in recent years.
GOP lawmakers successfully challenged the 2024 draft, when they argued Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes added provisions in the manual beyond what’s required in Arizona law.
Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and Mayes both signed off on that manual.
Kolodin said he’s not running the bill in response to what happened in 2024 and that he’s wanted to do it for a long time.
He said it’s strange to ask the attorney general to weigh in on election procedures since the AG's main role is to defend state laws.
“Why would you have somebody in the loop that probably doesn't know elections that well? I don’t know,” Kolodin said.
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