HB 2691
Initials JH/IG Page 1 Municipal Oversight & Elections
ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Fifty-sixth Legislature
First Regular Session
HB2691: elections; ballot chain of custody
Sponsor: Representative Heap, LD 10
Committee on Municipal Oversight & Elections
Overview
Specifies the chain of custody standards that must be maintained during the transfer of ballot
boxes, delivery of voted ballots, duplication of ballots and tabulation of ballots.
History
The County Recorder or other officer in charge of elections must designate two ballot retrievers
from two differing political parties to retrieve voted ballots from a ballot drop-off location or drop-
box. Upon arrival, the ballot retrievers must note the location and identification number of the
drop-box and the date and time of the arrival on the prescribed retrieval form that is to be provided
by the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections.
A chain of custody for accessible voting devices must be tracked and logged by a team of two
election board workers or staff of the County Recorder or other officer in charge of elections. The
log must include: the seal numbers on the device; for devices that mark and tabulate, the number
of votes cast at the time the device was turned on and the number of votes cast at the time the
device was turned off; and a place for the two board workers or county staff to initial or sign
verifying the information (Elections Procedures Manual 2019).
For any statewide, county or legislative election, the County Recorder or officer in charge of
elections must provide a live video recording of the custody of all ballots while the ballots are
present in a tabulation room in the counting center. The live video recording must include date
and time indicators and shall be linked to the Secretary of State's website. The County Recorder
or other officer in charge of elections shall maintain chain of custody records for all election
equipment and ballots during early voting through the completion of provisional voting tabulation
(A.R.S. 16-621).
Provisions
1. Adds that all ballot boxes must have a tamper evident seal. (Sec. 1)
2. Mandates that a law enforcement officer must aid in the transfer of the ballot box. (Sec. 1)
3. Specifies the details that must be included in a chain of custody report for the opening or
transferring of a ballot box. (Sec. 1, 3)
4. Requires the County Recorder or other officer in charge of elections to prepare a chain of
custody report for the transportation and delivery of voted ballots. (Sec. 2)
5. States that all damaged or defective ballots that are replaced with a duplicate ballot must be
recorded in a detailed chain of custody report. (Sec. 3)
6. Adds that the live video recording for the custody of ballots must include the signature
verification process and each signature verification workstation. (Sec. 3)
☐ Prop 105 (45 votes) ☐ Prop 108 (40 votes) ☐ Emergency (40 votes) ☐ Fiscal Note HB 2691
Initials JH/IG Page 2 Municipal Oversight & Elections
7. Mandates that the live video recording for the custody of ballots must provide full visibility of
all ballots. (Sec. 3)
8. Instructs the County Recorder or other officer in charge of elections to keep a specified record
of all voting irregularities. (Sec. 3)
9. Directs the County Recorder or other officer in charge of elections to provide a copy of the
voting irregularity record to specified members of the Legislative and Executive Branches.
(Sec. 3)