Assigned to JUDE AS PASSED BY COMMITTEE
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, First Regular Session
AMENDED
FACT SHEET FOR S.B. 1011
early voting; ballot deadlines; certificates
Purpose
Requires a voted early ballot that is deposited at a voting location to be received by the
voting location not later than 7:00 p.m. on the Friday before election day in order to be counted
and valid. Allows county recorders to provide for on-site tabulation of early ballots at any time
during the period of early voting, rather than only on election day. Eliminates emergency voting
that occurs between 7:00 p.m. on the Friday before election day and 5:00 p.m. on the Monday
before election day.
Background
Any election called pursuant to Arizona law must provide for early voting, including
accessible voting by U.S. mail for persons who are blind or have a visual impairment. Any
qualified elector may vote by early ballot by making a request for a one-time early ballot as
provided by statute or by requesting to be on the Active Early Voter List which allows a voter to
vote by early mail ballot until the voter fails to vote an early ballot for two consecutive election
cycles (A.R.S. §§ 16-541 and 16-544). Statute requires early voters to secure their ballot in a
provided envelope, together with the prescribed affidavit, and either deliver or mail the secured
ballot to the appropriate county recorder or deposit the secured ballot at any polling place in the
county. In order to be counted and valid, the ballot must be received by the county recorder or
other officer in charge of elections no later than 7:00 p.m. on election day, or deposited by the
voter or the voter's agent at any polling place in the county no later than 7:00 p.m. on election day
(A.R.S. § 16-548). A voter may also choose to vote early in-person at any on-site early voting
location up to 27 days before the election and until 7:00 p.m. on the Friday before the election
(A.R.S. § 16-542). Before receiving a ballot at any on-site early voting location, a voter must
provide identification as prescribed by statute (A.R.S. § 16-579).
Upon receipt of a voted early ballot and completed affidavit, the county recorder or other
officer in charge of elections must compare the signature on the affidavit with the voter's signature
in the voter's registration record. If satisfied that the signatures were made by the same person, the
county recorder must place a distinguishing mark on the unopened affidavit envelope to indicate
that the signature is sufficient, and the ballot is ready for further processing and tabulation (A.R.S.
§ 16-550). Beginning in 2026, an early voter may also present their voted ballot along with
prescribed forms of voter identification and, upon confirming that the name and address on the
voter's identification appear to match the information shown on the voter's registration record, the
election official must stamp the signed affidavit with a stamp that reads ID verified, thereby
allowing the ballot to bypass additional signature verification (A.R.S. § 16-579). FACT SHEET – Amended
S.B. 1011
Page 2
Statute delegates the authority to establish emergency voting centers to the county board
of supervisors (A.R.S. § 16-411). If a voter experiences an emergency between 7:00 p.m. on the
Friday preceding the election and 5:00 p.m. on the Monday preceding the election, the voter may
request to vote at an emergency voting center. The voter must present valid voter identification
and sign a statement under penalty of perjury that the person is experiencing an emergency that
would prevent the person from voting at the polls (A.R.S. § 16-542).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this
legislation.
Provisions
1. Requires a voted early ballot that is deposited at a voting location to be received by the voting
location not later than 7:00 p.m. on the Friday before election day, rather than 7:00 p.m. on
election day, in order to be valid and counted.
2. Specifies that voted early ballots may still be delivered or mailed to the office of the county
recorder not later than 7:00 p.m. on election day in order to be valid and counted.
3. Removes the ability for a school principal to deny a request from the officer in charge of
elections to provide space for use as a polling place for an election.
4. Allows county recorders to begin distributing early ballots up to 29 days before election day,
rather than 27 days before election day.
5. Extends on-site early voting from the Friday before election day to the Saturday and Monday
before election day.
6. Eliminates emergency voting between 7:00 p.m. on the Friday before election day and 5:00
p.m. on the Monday before election day, and repeals statute delegating the authority to
establish emergency voting centers to the county board of supervisors.
7. Requires in-person early voters who appear at an on-site tabulation location in a county that
provides for such locations during the Saturday and Monday immediately preceding election
day to surrender the voter's early ballot and affidavit in order to tabulate the early ballot on-
site according to prescribed procedures.
8. Requires the officer in charge of elections to ensure that chain of custody procedures for early
ballots cast in person are identical to those prescribed for in-person election day voting.
9. Allows county recorders to provide for on-site tabulation of early ballots at any time during
the period of early voting, rather than only on election day.
10. Removes the requirement that the county recorder count the number of early ballots that are
returned to voting locations on election day and post the totals on the county's website along
with unofficial election night results.
11. Makes technical and conforming changes. FACT SHEET – Amended
S.B. 1011
Page 3
12. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Amendments Adopted by Committee
1. Allows, rather than requires, voting locations to be open for in-person early voting on the
Saturday and Monday before election day.
2. Allows county recorders to begin distributing early ballots up to 29 days before election day,
rather than 27 days before election day.
3. Removes the ability for a school principal to deny a request from the officer in charge of
elections to provide space for use as a polling place for an election.
4. Requires in-person early voters who appear at an on-site tabulation location in a county that
provides for such locations during the Saturday and Monday immediately preceding election
day to surrender the voter's early ballot and affidavit in order to tabulate the early ballot on-
site according to prescribed procedures.
5. Requires the officer in charge of elections to ensure that chain of custody procedures for early
ballots cast in person are identical to those prescribed for in-person election day voting.
6. Allows county recorders to provide for on-site tabulation of early ballots at any time during
the period of early voting, rather than only on election day.
7. Removes the requirement that the county recorder count the number of early ballots that are
returned to voting locations on election day and post the totals on the county's website along
with unofficial election night results.
8. Removes the ability of an in-person early voter to complete an early voting certificate in lieu
of a mail affidavit envelope.
9. Reinserts existing statute on early voting instructions relating to the option to present valid
identification along with a voted early ballot.
Senate Action
JUDE 1/15/25 DPA 4-3-0
Prepared by Senate Research
January 16, 2025
ZD/ci