2020 General Election
Turnout rate (VEP)
0
%
Votes cast from mailed-out ballots
0
%
2016 General Election
Turnout rate (VEP)
0
%
Votes cast from mailed-out ballots
0
%
State election policies as of 2022...
Full Vote-at-Home
0/10
Full Vote-at-Home
Voter automatically mailed ballot for every election
No Excuse Required
6/6
No Excuse Required
No excuse to vote from home
Single Sign-Up
6/6
Single Sign-Up
Voter signs up once to receive mail ballot for all future elections
Local Vote-at-Home Option
3/5
Local VAH Option
Local governments have discretion to conduct full vote-at-home elections
Online Mail Ballot Sign-Up
2/2
Online Mail Ballot Sign-Up
Voter can apply for mail ballot online
Ballot Tracking
2/4
Ballot Tracking
Voter can receive ballot status notifications.
In-Person Ballot Return
4/5
In-Person Ballot Return
Voter has multiple options to return mail ballot in person
Signature Verification
4/5
Signature Verification
Voter signature verified before ballot is counted
Ballot Cure Process
4/4
Ballot Cure Process
Voter can correct issues so ballot can be counted
Prepaid Postage
4/4
Prepaid Postage
Postage-paid return envelopes provided
Election Day Postmark Acceptance
0/4
Election Day Postmark Acceptance
Ballots postmarked by Election Day are accepted
In-Person Voting
4/4
In-Person Return
Physical locations for voters to vote and receive assistance
Pre-Processing
3/3
Signature Verification
Ballots are verified and scanned before Election Day
Mail Ballot Applications
0/2
Mail Ballot Applications
Election officials can mail ballot applications to all voters eligible to vote from home
Ballot Return Assistance
1/2
Ballot Return Assistance
Voters may receive assistance to return their mail ballot
Opportunities
With a drastic increase in mail ballots, Arizona has a great opportunity to reach for the gold standard of post-election security by implementing risk limiting audits. Audits must be done by professional, nonpartisan experts like local election officials, and should not be conducted by actors of one party under any circumstances.
We highly recommend implementing vote centers, or polling locations where any voter in the county can vote, in all counties. This is a way to streamline the system so over time, as the share of the vote cast by mail increases, counties can have fewer overall polling locations, while individual voters will have more voting location options.
Ballot tracking software such as Ballot Scout or BallotTrax can be a very cost-effective tool to improve Arizona’s current ballot tracking and increase voter confidence by allowing voters to track their ballot much like an Amazon package. It also adds a layer of data for the elections office who can also track the ballots to make sure they have reached their destination. Furthermore, these tools can be used as another modality to contact voters if there is a signature mismatch or deficiency on their return envelope. An expanded notification system helps keep rejection rates low and increases voter confidence and participation.
Arizona’s current cure deadline of Election Day for missing signatures leaves many voters behind, as it leaves many voters without sufficient time to sign their ballot envelopes before it gets rejected. We recommend making the deadline to cure missing signatures the same as the state’s deadline to cure non-matching signatures, which is 5 business days after election day.
Recent Legislation
As of June 14, 2021
No pro-vote by mail legislation was passed in 2020 in Arizona. In 2021, Arizona actually took a step backwards in terms of voter access by passing a bill to remove more than 140,000 voters from the permanent absentee list. SB 1485 makes the state automatically remove legitimate voters if they don’t vote in four years. Since many voters only vote in presidential elections, this means that if a voter skips one election they will be disenfranchised. SB 1003 allowed voters who forgot to sign their ballot envelopes to cure those issues. SB 2905 banned election officials from proactively sending absentee applications or ballots to voters. The other election-related bills that passed were more technical in nature and did not expand voter access or significantly improve processes.
Last Updated