HB 2673
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ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Fifty-seventh Legislature
First Regular Session
House: FMAE DPA 4-3-0-0
HB 2673: early ballots; deadlines; foreign money
Sponsor: Representative Kolodin, LD 3
House Engrossed
Overview
Modifies the procedures for adding and retaining voters on the Active Early Voting List,
alters deadlines for the return of early ballots beginning in 2027, allows for the on-site
tabulation of early ballots during the weekend and Monday before the election and prohibits
foreign contributions in Arizona's elections.
History
Requests for an Early Ballot
Arizona law allows voters to make a request to be included on a list of voters to receive a
ballot by mail for any election for which the county voter registration roll is used. This list is
called the Active Early Voting List (AEVL) and is maintained by the County Recorders.
Voters on this list will automatically receive an early ballot for all elections they are eligible
to vote in. However, an AEVL participant who fails to cast an early ballot in at least one
candidate election over the course of two consecutive election cycles will be removed from the
list unless the voter responds to the official notice of removal. An election cycle, generally,
refers to the two year period beginning on January 1 in the year after a statewide general
election (A.R.S. § 16-544).
In Florida, a request to receive a vote-by-mail ballot is deemed sufficient for that voter to
receive a vote-by-mail ballot for all elections through the end of the calendar year of the next
regularly scheduled general election. The voter may, however, designate only certain
elections during this time period for which the voter would like to receive a vote-by-mail
ballot. A Florida voter can make such a request in person, in writing, by telephone or through
the county supervisor of election's website (F.S.A. § 101.62).
'Late Early' Ballots
The term 'late early ballot' refers to instances where a voter returns their mailed early ballot
on election day. Late early ballots are often processed last by counties since they are subject
to signature verification and curing deadlines. Arizona law allows voters to return their voted
early ballot to any polling place within their county by 7:00 P.M. on election day. In the 2024
general election, the Secretary of State reported an estimated 264,554 late early ballots. This
number includes 210,039 late earlies in Maricopa County alone, Arizona's largest voting
jurisdiction (AZ SOS).
Florida law requires vote-by-mail ballots to be received by the election's office by 7:00 P.M.
on election day to be counted. A postmark does not extend this deadline. A Florida voter may
return their vote-by-mail ballot to a secure ballot drop box at any early voting site during
voting hours. However, a voter cannot return their voted mail ballot at an election day polling HB 2673
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place. If a voter still has their voted mail ballot on election day, it must be delivered directly
to the election's office no later than 7:00 P.M. to be counted (F.S.A. §§ 101.67, 101.69).
Provisions
Deadlines for Returning an Early Ballot
1. Establishes, beginning in 2027, the following acceptable means of returning a voter's
voted ballot and affidavit:
a) depositing the voted ballot and affidavit in a secure receptable at any early voting
location in the county by 7:00 P.M. on the Friday before election day;
b) delivering the voted ballot and affidavit by mail to the office of the County Recorder
or officer in charge of elections by 7:00 P.M. on election day; or
c) hand delivering the voted ballot and affidavit to the office of the County Recorder or
officer in charge of elections before 7:00 P.M. on election day. (Sec. 7)
2. Clarifies that the office of the County Recorder or officer in charge of elections is the only
valid location at which an early ballot may be hand delivered on election day. (Sec. 7)
Voting Locations
3. Repeals provisions allowing the Board of Supervisors to establish emergency voting
locations. (Sec. 2, 4)
4. Requires a public school to serve as a polling place for city, county or state elections when
requested to do so by the officer in charge of elections.
5. Allows the County Recorder or officer in charge of elections to operate on-site early voting
locations during the Saturday, Sunday and Monday before election day. (Sec. 4)
6. Allows the Board of Supervisors or officer in charge of elections to conduct logic and
accuracy testing for the electronic tabulating equipment used for on-site tabulation within
50 days before election day. (Sec. 3)
Active Early Voting List
7. Directs the County Recorders or officers in charge of elections, upon receipt of a voter's
request to be included on AEVL, to verify the voter's identity and address. (Sec. 5)
8. Instructs the County Recorder or officer in charge of elections to reject a voter's
application to be included on AEVL if they are unable to verify the voter's identity and
address. (Sec. 5)
9. Directs the County Recorder or officer in charge of elections to move a voter to inactive
status if the notice sent to an AEVL voter prior to an election is returned as undeliverable.
(Sec. 5)
10. Requires a voter to confirm their address each election cycle to remain on AEVL and
receive an early ballot for the elections during that election cycle. (Sec. 5)
11. Instructs the County Recorders to allow a voter to confirm their address and provides
specified methods by which the Recorder may accomplish this requirement. (Sec. 5)
Prohibition on Foreign Contributions in Elections
12. Prohibits a foreign government from knowingly giving, and a person, entity or committee
from knowingly accepting or using, any monies or in-kind goods or services that are
contributed by a foreign government or foreign nongovernmental source to influence the
outcome of an election on a ballot measure. (Sec. 12)
☐ Prop 105 (45 votes) ☐ Prop 108 (40 votes) ☐ Emergency (40 votes) ☐ Fiscal Note HB 2673
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13. Requires a person, entity or committee that is required to file a campaign finance report
to certify under penalty of perjury in such reports that they have not accepted or used
monies or in-kind goods or services from a foreign government or foreign
nongovernmental entity. (Sec. 12)
14. Prohibits an Arizona government entity from using monies or in-kind goods or services
donated, either directly or indirectly, by a foreign government or a foreign
nongovernmental source for election administration. (Sec. 1)
15. Instructs a person or vendor that provides services to a government entity for election
administration purposes to submit a certification to the Secretary of State that includes
a dated, sworn statement, under penalty of perjury, that the person is not knowingly the
recipient of donations from a foreign source. (Sec. 1)
16. Specifies, if a person obtains information that was unknown to them at the time of the
initial certification, the person must update the initial certification within five business
days to reflect the new information and submit a new sworn statement. (Sec. 1)
17. Specifies that a person who is required to submit a certification to the Secretary of State
must update the certification annually. (Sec. 1)
18. Clarifies that this prohibition and certification requirement does not apply to an
organization or person who is providing a facility for use as a voting location. (Sec 1)
19. Instructs Arizona's government entities to prepare, and the Secretary of State to report,
a quarterly list of any person or vendor that provides election administration services to
that government entity. (Sec. 1)
20. Directs the Secretary of State to notify any government entity that fails to file a required
quarterly report by email and inform that entity about possible enforcement actions. (Sec.
1)
21. Directs the Secretary of State to maintain records of all sworn certifications and to
publicly post the certifications on their website. (Sec. 1)
22. Prohibits a government entity from entering into or continuing an agreement with a
person or vendor who fails to submit a required certification or submits an inaccurate
certification to the Secretary of State. (Sec. 1)
23. Specifies an agreement between a person or vendor and a government entity is
invalidated if the person or vendor fails to submit a required certification or submits an
inaccurate certification to the Secretary of State. (Sec. 1)
24. Makes a person or entity liable for a civil penalty, to be paid to the first successful litigant,
in the amount of three times the money paid or contracted to be paid by the government
entity when the person or vendor knowingly fails to provide an accurate initial or updated
certification. (Sec. 1)
25. Specifies that the controlling person of any vendor is jointly and severally liable for any
civil penalty for failure to knowingly provide an accurate initial or updated certification.
(Sec. 1)
26. Entitles a qualified elector of Arizona or any state officer acting in their official capacity
to bring a civil action to enjoin a violation of the prohibition on foreign contributions in
elections provisions or to enforce such provisions. (Sec. 1) HB 2673
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27. Entitles a prevailing claimant in a civil action described above to injunctive relief,
specifies damages and costs and attorney fees. (Sec. 1)
28. Clarifies that the remedies, duties, prohibitions and penalties prescribed by this measure
are in addition to all other causes of action, remedies and penalties prescribed by law.
(Sec. 1)
29. Clarifies that a foreign government, for the purposes of this measure, does not include
federally recognized sovereign tribal nations. (Sec. 1, 12)
30. Defines foreign nongovernmental source and person. (Sec. 1, 12)
Miscellaneous
31. Modifies the early voting instructions sent to a voter with an early ballot. (Sec. 6)
32. Defines election cycle as the period between a general election and the subsequent general
election. (Sec. 5)
33. Defines voter's signature on the voter's registration form, signature of the elector on or in
the elector's registration record and substantially similar phrases. (Sec. 5)
34. Entitles this act as the Florida-Style Election Act. (Sec. 13)
35. Makes technical and conforming changes.