Assigned to GOV FOR COMMITTEE
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Fifth Legislature, Second Regular Session
FACT SHEET FOR H.B. 2617
voter registration; cancellations; causes
Purpose
Requires a county recorder to cancel the voter registration of a person for whom the county
recorder receives and confirms information that the person is not a U.S. citizen, has been issued a
driver license or nonoperating license in another state or is otherwise not a qualified elector.
Outlines notice requirements prior to cancelling a person's voter registration. Requires the
Secretary of State (SOS) and a county recorder to compare the voter registration database with
prescribed databases.
Background
An Arizona resident is qualified to register to vote if the person: 1) is a U.S. citizen; 2) will
be at least 18 years old by the date of the next regular general election; 3) will have been a resident
for 29 days before the next election; 4) is able to write the person's name or mark, unless prevented
by physical disability; 5) has not been convicted of treason or felony, unless restored to civil rights;
and 6) has not been adjudicated an incapacitated person (A.R.S. § 16-101).
The SOS must develop and administer a statewide voter registration database that contains
the name and registration information of every registered voter in Arizona. The database must:
1) include a unique identifier for each voter; 2) allow access to voter registration officials; and
3) allow expedited entry of voter registration information once received by county recorders. The
SOS is responsible for maintaining the database including removal of ineligible voters consistent
with federal code (A.R.S. § 16-168).
A county recorder must cancel a person's voter registration in certain circumstances,
including when a county recorder knows of the death of a registered person and when the county
recorder receives written information from the person registered that the person has a change of
address outside of the county. Each month, the Department of Health Services (DHS) must provide
the SOS with a record of death of every Arizona resident. The SOS must compare the record of
death with the voter registration database and cancel the registration of each deceased person
(A.R.S. § 16-165).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this
legislation.
Provisions
1. Requires a county recorder to cancel a person's voter registration when the county reorder
receives and confirms information that the person registered:
a) is not a U.S. citizen, including when the county recorder receives a juror questionnaire on
which a person who is registered to vote has stated that the person is not a U.S. citizen; FACT SHEET
H.B. 2617
Page 2
b) has been issued a driver license or the equivalent of an Arizona nonoperating identification
license from another state; or
c) is otherwise not a qualified elector.
2. Requires the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) to furnish a monthly list to the
SOS of persons who have been issued a driver license or the equivalent of an Arizona
nonoperating license in another state.
3. Requires the SOS, within 10 days of receipt of the list of persons from ADOT, to provide the
appropriate county recorder with a list of registered voters in that county who have been issued
a driver license or the equivalent of an Arizona nonoperating identification license from
another state.
4. Requires a county recorder, before cancelling the voter registration of a person for whom the
county recorder receives information indicating non-U.S. citizenship, to send the person a
notice that the registration will be canceled in 90 days unless the person provides satisfactory
evidence that the person is qualified.
5. Requires the county recorder, if a person who has been sent a notice related to non-U.S.
citizenship does not provide satisfactory evidence within 90 days, to cancel the person's
registration and notify the county attorney or Attorney General (AG) for possible investigation.
6. Requires a county recorder, before cancelling the voter registration of a person for whom the
county recorder receives information indicating the issuance of a driver license or equivalent
of an Arizona nonoperating identification license from another state, to send notice that the
registration will be cancelled in 90 days unless the person provides satisfactory evidence that
the person is qualified.
7. Requires the county recorder, for a notice to a person regarding an indication of the issuance
of a driver license or equivalent of an Arizona nonoperating identification license from another
state, to include the reason for the cancellation and send the notice to both the address:
a) in the person's voter registration file; and
b) shown in ADOT's records from the issuance of a driver license or other state-issued
identification in another state.
8. Requires the SOS, each month, to compare the statewide voter registration database and the
driver license database maintained by ADOT.
9. Requires the SOS to notify the appropriate county recorder if a person who is registered to vote
in the county has changed the person's residence address or is not a U.S. citizen.
10. Requires the county recorder, each month and to the extent practicable, to compare:
a) the county's voter registration database to the Social Security Administration database; and
b) persons who are registered to vote in that county and who the county recorder has reason
to believe are not U.S. citizens with the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements
Program maintained by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to verify the
citizenship status of the persons registered. FACT SHEET
H.B. 2617
Page 3
11. Requires a county recorder, for persons who are registered to vote without statutorily
prescribed satisfactory evidence of citizenship, to compare the Electronic Verification of Vital
Events System maintained by the National Association for Public Health Statistics and
Information Systems, if accessible, with the person's voter registration file.
12. Requires a county recorder to regularly review city, town, county, state and federal databases
to which the county recorder has access to ensure that persons who are registered to vote are
qualified electors.
13. Requires the SOS to report to the Legislature at the end of each quarter on the number of deaths
reported to the SOS by DHS and the number of voter registration cancellation notices issued
by the SOS to county recorders as a result of the reports.
14. Requires a jury commissioner or jury manager to forward, to the SOS and a county recorder,
a copy of any jury questionnaire on which a person has indicated the person is not a U.S. citizen
or does not reside in the county.
15. Requires a jury commissioner or jury manager to redact any information that is not necessary
for a county recorder to accurately identify a person in the voter registration database.
16. Requires a county recorder to cancel a person's voter registration when the county recorder is
informed and confirms that a registered person is dead, rather than when the voter knows of
the death of a registered person.
17. Makes technical and conforming changes.
18. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
House Action
GE 2/9/22 DP 7-6-0-0
3
rd
Read 3/1/22 31-26-3
Prepared by Senate Research
March 10, 2022
MH/slp