SB 1123
Initials JH/MB Page 1 Caucus & COW
ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Fifty-seventh Legislature
First Regular Session
Senate: JUDE DP 4-3-0-0 | 3
rd
Read 17-12-1-0
House: FMAE DP 4-2-0-1
SB 1123: watermark; paper ballots
Sponsor: Senator Finchem, LD 1
Caucus & COW
Overview
Requires vendors providing fraud countermeasures for paper that is used for ballots to obtain
certain certifications and use a prescribed number of fraud countermeasures.
History
In 2022 the Arizona Supreme Court struck down the entire FY 2022 Budget Procedures BRB
for violating the Arizona Constitution's title requirement (Arizona School Boards Association
Inc. et al. v. State of Arizona).
Part of the FY 2022 Budget Procedures Budget Reconciliation Bill (BRB) required vendors
that provide fraud countermeasures that are contained on ballot paper be certified and
prescribe specific fraud countermeasures to be used.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an independent non -
governmental organization that creates international standards to ensure products and
services are safe, reliable and of high quality. Certification bodies use these standards to
certify certain products and services (ISO).
Provisions
1. Requires any vendor that provides fraud countermeasures for the paper used on ballots
be ISO 27001 certified, ISO 17025 certified or ISO 9001:2015 certified. (Sec. 1)
2. Mandates ballot fraud countermeasures include at least three of the following:
a) unique, controlled-supply watermarked clearing bank specification 1 security paper;
b) secure holographic foil that acts as a visual deterrent and anti-copy feature;
c) branded overprint of any hologram that personalizes the hologram with customer
logo;
d) custom complex security background designs with banknote-level security;
e) secure variable digital infill;
f) thermochromic, tri-thermochromic, photochromic or optically variable inks;
g) stealth numbering in ultraviolet, infrared or taggant inks;
h) multicolored micro-numismatic invisible ultraviolet designs;
i) unique forensic fraud detection technology that is built into security inks; or
j) unique bar code or QR code that is accessible only to the voter and that tracks the
voter's ballot as it is processed. (Sec. 1)
☐ Prop 105 (45 votes) ☐ Prop 108 (40 votes) ☐ Emergency (40 votes) ☐ Fiscal Note