Assigned to ELEC AS PASSED BY COMMITTEE
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Sixth Legislature, Second Regular Session
AMENDED
FACT SHEET FOR S.B.1342
elections; parties; hand count audits
Purpose
Modifies the requirements that govern the appointment of political party designees for hand
count audits and accelerates the time periods by which requirements relating to the lists of hand
count board workers must be met.
Background
A county officer in charge of elections must conduct a limited hand count audit for each
countywide primary, special, general and presidential preference election. The county chair of each
political party must select and provide the number of election board members designated by the
county officer in charge of elections to perform the hand count. The hand count may not proceed
unless the political parties provide, in writing, to the county officer in charge of elections a
sufficient number of persons by 5:00 p.m. on the Thursday before the election and enough persons
subsequently arrive to perform the hand count. If there is a shortage in the total number of hand
count board workers provided by all parties, the county officer in charge of elections must notify
the parties of the shortage by 9:00 a.m. on the Wednesday before the election. The hand count may
not be conducted if more than 75 percent of the persons performing the hand count are from the
same political party. The results of the hand count audit must be provided to the Secretary of State
(SOS) and made publicly available on the SOS's website (A.R.S. § 16-602).
Statute outlines live video requirements at a counting center. In any statewide, county or
legislative election, the county officer in charge of elections must provide for a live video recording
of the custody of all ballots while the ballots are present in a tabulation room. The live video must
include date and time indicators and be linked to the SOS's website for viewing by the public. The
county officer in charge of elections must record and retain the video coverage of the ballots as a
public record for at least as long as the challenge period for the general election (A.R.S. § 16-621).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this
legislation.
Provisions
1. Requires the county chairperson of a political party to provide the prescribed number of hand
count board members to the state party chairperson in addition to county officer in charge of
elections.
2. Specifies that, upon notice of a shortage of hand count workers, the political parties have until
9:00 a.m. on the second Thursday before the election to provide an additional list of qualified
electors who are willing to participate in the hand count. FACT SHEET – Amended
S.B.1342
Page 2
3. Modifies the procedures relating to a shortage of designated hand count board workers to
require:
a) the state party chairperson to designate qualified electors as hand count workers if the
county chairperson fails to provide enough designees; or
b) the highest-ranking official holding a statewide office, as outlined, for each political party
to designate qualified electors as hand count workers if both the county and state party
chairpersons fail to provide enough designees.
4. Requires the political parties to provide the list of hand count workers by 5:00 p.m. on the
second Tuesday, rather than the first Tuesday, before the election.
5. Requires the officer in charge of elections to notify the political parties of a shortage in hand
count workers by 9:00 a.m. on the second Wednesday, rather than the first Wednesday, before
the election.
6. Requires the county officer in charge of elections to distribute the list of additional electors to
the county chairperson and state chairperson of each political party by 5:00 p.m. on the second
Friday before the election.
7. Requires a county to make the results of the hand count audits available on the county's
website.
8. Specifies that the 75 percent maximum of the number of hand count workers that are of the
same political party is to the extent practicable.
9. Makes technical and conforming changes.
10. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Amendments Adopted by Committee
1. Removes the requirement that the county officer in charge of elections publish the procedures
for the hand count audit on the county's website by the Tuesday before election day.
2. Removes the prohibition on the county officer in charge of elections from establishing
procedures that are not expressly authorized by statute.
3. Reinserts the exemption of the hand count audit from live video requirements.
Senate Action
ELEC 2/05/24 DPA 6-0-2
Prepared by Senate Research
February 8, 2024
AN/KS/cs