Arizona Governor Vetoes Seven More Election Bills
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Tuesday, June 20, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) vetoed at least seven more election bills, bringing her total vetoes of election bills this legislative session to over 28. Critically, the slim Republican majority in both chambers of the Legislature does not have enough votes to override Hobbs’ vetoes.
Hobbs’ latest rounds of vetoes included:
- Senate Bill 1095, which would have added an unnecessary disclaimer on mail-in ballot envelopes that reads “DROPPING OFF AN EARLY BALLOT AFTER THE FRIDAY BEFORE THE ELECTION MAY RESULT IN DELAYED RESULTS AS EACH BALLOT REQUIRES VERIFICATION.”
- Senate Bill 1175, which would have given the public more access to voter registration information and expanded the activities of partisan poll watchers.
- Senate Bill 1332, which would have made the “cast vote record” — which shows how votes were cast on each anonymous ballot for each race — available to the public.
- Senate Bill 1471, which would have required counties with populations of over two million — only Phoenix’s Maricopa County would qualify — to conduct additional recounts, including by hand counting.
- Senate Bill 1595, which would have shortened the deadline to drop off a mail-in ballot from 7 p.m. on Election Day to 7 p.m. on the Friday before Election Day. If deposited any time after 7 p.m. on that Friday, S.B. 1595 would have required a voter to present identification and sign the poll book before depositing.
- Senate Bill 1596, which would have limited the use of countywide vote centers.
- Senate Bill 1598, which would have altered the rules governing the behavior of partisan poll watchers.
Last Friday, Hobbs vetoed a bill that would have allowed any county in the state to replace the electronic count of ballots with a hand count. Despite hand counting being less accurate and often unreliable, counties across the country, including Cochise County, Arizona, have pushed for hand counting in response to unfounded conspiracies about electronic voting machines.
Consequently, Hobbs has played a central role in her first six months in office to prevent Arizona Republicans from turning election conspiracy theories into policy, and other attempts to make voting and election administration more difficult.