early ballots; registration signatures; curing

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• Feb 26, 2026
  Transmit to House

  Senate
• Mar 4, 2026
  House First Reading.

  Housereading-1
• Mar 8, 2026
  House Second Reading

  Housereading-2
• Mar 17, 2026
  DP

  Housecommittee-passage
• Mar 22, 2026
  House Placed on Consent Calendar

  House

Roll-Call Votes

• Passed

  passagepass

  Senate · Feb 25, 2026

  16 yes12 no0 other0 absent0 excused2 not voting

• do pass amended

  committee-passagefail

  Senate · Feb 25, 2026

  0 yes0 no0 other0 absent0 excused0 not voting

Documents

• HOUSE SUMMARY: 03/16/2026 Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections

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• HOUSE SUMMARY: 03/20/2026 Caucus & COW

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• SENATE FACT SHEET: 02/09/2026 JUDE

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• SENATE FACT SHEET: 02/16/2026 JUDE Striker Memo

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• SENATE FACT SHEET: 02/26/2026 JUDE As Passed COW

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Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert:
"Section 1. Section 16-449, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to
read:
16-449. Required test of equipment and programs; notice;
procedures manual
A. Within the period of time before the election day prescribed by
the secretary of state in the instructions and procedures manual adopted
pursuant to section 16-452, the board of supervisors or other election
officer in charge OF ELECTIONS, or for an election involving state or
federal candidates, the secretary of state, shall have TEST the automatic
tabulating equipment and programs tested to ascertain that the equipment
and programs will correctly count the votes cast for all offices and on
all measures AND THAT ANY INTERNAL CLOCKS AND TIMEKEEPING FUNCTIONS COMPLY
WITH SECTION 16-449.01. Public notice of the time and place of the test
shall be given at least forty-eight hours prior thereto BEFORE THE TEST by
publication once in one or more daily or weekly newspapers published in
the town, city or village using such equipment, if a newspaper is
published therein IN THE TOWN, CITY OR VILLAGE, otherwise in a newspaper
of general circulation therein IN THE AREA AFFECTED.    The test shall be
observed by at least two election inspectors, who shall not be of the same
political party, and shall be open to representatives of the political
parties, candidates, the press and the public. The test shall be
conducted by processing a preaudited group of ballots so marked as to
record a predetermined number of valid votes for each candidate and on
each measure and shall include for each office one or more ballots that
have votes in excess of the number allowed by law in order to test the
ability of the automatic tabulating equipment and programs to reject such
votes. THE TEST ALSO SHALL INCLUDE VERIFICATION THAT THE INTERNAL CLOCKS
OF THE EQUIPMENT AND PROGRAMS ARE SET AND MAINTAINED AS PRESCRIBED BY
SECTION 16-449.01 AND THAT ANY DEVIATION IS CORRECTED AND RETESTED.     If
any error is detected, the cause therefor FOR THE ERROR shall be
ascertained and corrected and an errorless count shall be made before the
automatic tabulating equipment and programs are approved.     A copy of a
revised program shall be filed with the secretary of state within
forty-eight hours after the revision is made. If the error was created by
automatic tabulating equipment malfunction, a report shall be filed with
the secretary of state within forty-eight hours after the correction is
made, stating the cause and the corrective action taken. The test shall
be repeated immediately before the start of the official count of the
ballots in the same manner as set forth above IN THIS SUBSECTION. After
the completion of the count, the programs used and the ballots shall be
sealed, retained and disposed of as provided for paper ballots.
B. Electronic ballot tabulating systems shall be tested for logic
and accuracy within seven days before their use for early balloting
pursuant to the instructions and procedures manual for electronic voting
systems that is adopted by the secretary of state as prescribed by section
16-452. The instructions and procedures manual shall include procedures
for the handling of ballots, the electronic scanning of ballots and any
other matters necessary to ensure the maximum degree of correctness,
impartiality and uniformity in the administration of an electronic ballot
tabulating system.
C. Notwithstanding subsections A and B of this section, if a county
uses accessible voting equipment to mark ballots and that accessible
voting equipment does not independently tabulate or tally votes, the
secretary of state in cooperation with the county officer in charge of
elections may designate a single date to test the logic and accuracy of
both the accessible voting equipment and electronic ballot tabulating
systems.
Sec. 2. Title 16, chapter 4, article 4, Arizona Revised Statutes,
is amended by adding section 16-449.01, to read:
16-449.01. Election systems and software; time accuracy
requirements;     violation;     classification;
definitions
A. BEFORE THEIR USE DURING AN ELECTION PERIOD, ALL ELECTION SYSTEMS
AND SOFTWARE SHALL HAVE THEIR CLOCKS AND INTERNAL TIMEKEEPING FUNCTIONS
SET TO AND MAINTAINED AT THE ACCURATE CURRENT TIME, WITHIN SIXTY SECONDS
OF THE OFFICIAL TIME AS PROVIDED BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS
AND TECHNOLOGY AND AS ADJUSTED FOR THE APPROPRIATE TIME ZONES IN THIS
STATE. THIS SECTION APPLIES THROUGHOUT THE ELECTION PERIOD AND INCLUDES
ALL TIMESTAMPS THAT ARE GENERATED FOR LOGS, RECORDS, AFFIDAVITS, CURE
PERIODS, BALLOT ISSUANCE AND BALLOT PROCESSING AND FOR TEST AND AUDIT
PURPOSES.
B. FOR ELECTION SYSTEMS AND SOFTWARE UNDER THEIR RESPECTIVE
STATUTORY AUTHORITY AND DUTIES, THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, OR OTHER OFFICER
IN CHARGE OF ELECTIONS, AND THE COUNTY RECORDER, SHALL:
1. SET AND VERIFY COMPLIANCE WITH SUBSECTION A OF THIS SECTION
DURING PREELECTION PREPARATION, PROGRAMMING, DATA ENTRY, SYSTEM SETUP AND
VOTER REGISTRATION ACTIVITIES.
2. VERIFY COMPLIANCE AS PART OF EACH REQUIRED TEST AND REVIEW OF
EQUIPMENT AND ELECTION SYSTEMS AND SOFTWARE, INCLUDING ALL OF THE
FOLLOWING:
(a) LOGIC AND ACCURACY TESTING PRESCRIBED BY SECTION 16-449.
(b) ANY COMPATIBILITY REVIEWS FOR VOTER REGISTRATION SYSTEMS UNDER
SECTION 16-168.
(c) ANY SECURITY REVIEWS FOR VOTER REGISTRATION SYSTEMS UNDER
SECTION 16-168.
3. MAINTAIN AND REVERIFY TIME ACCURACY DURING THE ELECTION PERIOD,
INCLUDING ON ELECTION DAY AND DURING CENTRAL COUNTING, EARLY BALLOT
PROCESSING, SIGNATURE VERIFICATION AND ALL OTHER PROCESSES PRESCRIBED BY
THIS SECTION.
4. PERFORM AND DOCUMENT A FINAL TIME ACCURACY VERIFICATION AS PART
OF POSTELECTION PROCEDURES, INCLUDING FOR THE CANVASS AND ANY AUDITS,
RECOUNTS AND CHAIN OF CUSTODY REVIEWS IN WHICH TIMESTAMPS ARE MATERIAL.
C. THE SECRETARY OF STATE SHALL INCLUDE PROCEDURES FOR ALL
VERIFICATIONS REQUIRED BY SUBSECTION B OF THIS SECTION IN THE INSTRUCTIONS
AND PROCEDURES MANUAL ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 16-452, INCLUDING
METHODS, FREQUENCY AND RESPONSIBLE PERSONNEL AND ANY CORRECTIVE ACTIONS
FOR NONCOMPLIANCE.
D. A PERSON WHO VIOLATES THIS SECTION IS GUILTY OF A CLASS 2
MISDEMEANOR.
E. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION:
1. "ELECTION PERIOD" MEANS THE TIME FROM INITIAL PREPARATION,
PROGRAMMING AND DATA ENTRY FOR AN ELECTION THROUGH THE FINAL CANVASS,
CERTIFICATION OF RESULTS AND COMPLETION OF ANY REQUIRED POSTELECTION AUDIT
OR RECOUNT.
2. "ELECTION SYSTEM AND SOFTWARE":
(a) MEANS ALL HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, DATABASES, ELECTRONIC POLLBOOKS,
VOTER REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, SIGNATURE VERIFICATION SYSTEMS, EARLY BALLOT
PROCESSING EQUIPMENT, ACCESSIBLE VOTING DEVICES, AUTOMATIC TABULATING
EQUIPMENT, ELECTRONIC VOTING SYSTEMS, VOTE RECORDING DEVICES, BALLOT
SCANNERS, BALLOT PRINTERS, ELECTION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND STATEWIDE VOTER
REGISTRATION DATABASE INTERFACES.
(b) INCLUDES ANY OTHER TECHNOLOGY USED TO REGISTER VOTERS, PROCESS
BALLOTS, RECORD VOTES, TABULATE RESULTS, VERIFY SIGNATURES, GENERATE LOGS,
TRACK CHAIN OF CUSTODY, CONDUCT AUDITS AND CERTIFY ELECTION OUTCOMES IN AN
ELECTION CONDUCTED PURSUANT TO THIS TITLE."
Amend title to conform