Arizona on Offense: The Path Forward to Strengthen Our Elections

Arizona follows a rigorous system of checks and balances that ensures every election is free, fair, and secure. In recent years, however, we’ve seen bad actors exploit weaknesses in state law — fueling misinformation, legal battles, and spurious attempts to overturn the will of the voters.

This fact sheet outlines three commonsense policy solutions that Arizona lawmakers and election administrators can consider to close those gaps — before and after Election Day.* For a deeper dive into the national context and proven solutions, see our full report, “States on Offense: The Path Forward to Strengthen Our Elections.” For more information, please contact us here.

Three Fixes for Stronger Arizona Elections

1. Speed up the reporting of unofficial results by eliminating unnecessary redundancies and providing election officials with greater flexibility to process early ballots.
2. Ensure elections reflect the preferences of Arizona voters by requiring county boards to complete the official county canvass.
3. Limit frivolous post-election challenges by clarifying standards and deadlines.

Fix #1: Speed Up Reporting of Unofficial Results

Eliminating the requirement for signature verification for ballots where the voter has already verified their identity in person would enable election officials to report unofficial results more quickly. Current law requires election officials to verify voter signatures on early (mail) ballots even when the voter has shown an ID in person to obtain the ballot. A recent bill allows voters the option to show ID and forego signature verification when returning their ballots on Election Day. Lawmakers can extend this option to all voters who return their ballots in person. A person who shows ID verifies their identity and eligibility, rendering time-consuming signature verification redundant. Additionally, lawmakers can require and fund election officials to begin processing ballots dropped off on Election Day as soon as they are returned rather than waiting until after polls close.

Fix #2: Ensure Elections Reflect the Preferences of Arizona Voters 

Establishing that county boards have a non-discretionary duty to complete the official canvass would limit delays and unfounded challenges after ballots are counted. Once election officials have counted every eligible ballot, the county boards of supervisors are responsible for the official county canvass. Arizona law includes numerous checks and balances to ensure accuracy, including a partial hand count and tabulation audit before the results are delivered to the county board for the official canvass. Arizona state law does not grant county boards the authority to engage in unfounded inquiries that may delay the official canvass. However, that has not stopped county officials in recent elections from delaying certification based on unsubstantiated concerns. 

Fix #3: Limit Frivolous Post-Election Challenges

Lawmakers can specify limited grounds for post-election judicial challenges, require greater specificity from challengers to initiate challenges, and create tighter deadlines for resolution to limit frivolous challenges and bring needed finality to elections. The standards for initiating a challenge are relatively low and quite broad in Arizona. Challengers can simply say that “illegal votes were cast.” As a result, cases have dragged on for more than a year after the election, as losing candidates file suit after suit attempting to undo their loss. 

*This resource is strictly nonpartisan and for educational use only. It is 501(c)(3) compliant and not intended for any partisan, political, or electioneering activities.