SB 1271
Initials JH/SR Page 1 Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections
ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Fifty-seventh Legislature
First Regular Session
Senate: JUDE DP 4-3-0-0 | 3
rd
Read: 17-12-1-0
SB 1271: ballots; count; identification number; appropriation
Sponsor: Senator Bolick, LD 2
Committee on Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections
Overview
Requires each ballot, except provisional ballots, to bear a unique identification number or
other unique identifier and prescribes guidelines for counting and printing physical ballots.
History
For all primary, special and general elections the election judge is required to compare the
number of votes cast on an electronic voting machine or tabulator with the votes cast as
indicated on the poll list. This information must be published in a written report and
submitted to the officer in charge of elections. Additionally, a hand count audit of a sample
of ballots is required for every countywide primary, special, general and presidential
preference election in order to test the accuracy of the vote tabulation equipment (A.R.S. §
16-602, 2023 EPM).
Provisions
1. Mandates each ballot, except for provisional ballots, bear a unique identification number
or other unique designation. (Sec. 1)
2. Requires the County Recorder or officer in charge of elections to maintain a count of the
number of physical printed ballots and other generated ballots including early, regular,
provisional and federal-only ballots. (Sec. 2)
3. Instructs the County Recorder or officer in charge of elections to post the counted ballot
information on the county's website within two calendar days. (Sec. 2)
4. Specifies ballots used in an election in Arizona must be either:
a) individually numbered consecutively or numbered using an alphanumeric
combination that links a numeric range of ballots to a specific voting location and
these ballots must be distributed to voters nonsequentially for ballot secrecy; or
b) prenumbered and divided into batches of at least 200 for each election assigned to a
voting location and must be recorded on a publicly available master log for each
jurisdiction to track which ballots are distributed to each voting location. (Sec. 2)
5. Allows the officer in charge of elections to choose between blank ballot stock with
preprinted numbers and individually numbered ballots during the printing process. (Sec.
2)
6. Requires ballot printing equipment to be configured to track ballots. (Sec. 2)
☐ Prop 105 (45 votes) ☐ Prop 108 (40 votes) ☐ Emergency (40 votes) ☐ Fiscal Note SB 1271
Initials JH/SR Page 2 Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections
7. Instructs the officer in charge of elections, with electronically generated ballots that are
duplicated, to number the duplicate ballot by using one of the methods prescribed above.
(Sec. 2)
8. Clarifies the methods for duplicating ballots outlined above do not authorize a method for
printing or generating ballots not provided for by law. (Sec. 2)
9. Mandates the officer in charge of elections ensure each ballot cast in an election contain
a unique identifier such as a serial number. (Sec. 2)
10. Prohibits the County Recorder or officer in charge of elections from:
a) maintaining a database of unique identifiers linking a voter to their ballot;
b) transcribing a unique identifier in any form or manner other than set forth by this
legislation and as necessary to carry out the intent of this legislation; and
c) asking a voter to involuntarily reveal a unique identifier. (Sec. 2)
11. Prohibits a person from asking a voter to involuntarily reveal a unique identifier. (Sec. 2)
12. Specifies that the aforementioned requirements apply to all primary, general and
presidential preference elections and that unique identifiers may be used in other
elections according to an election's specific requirements. (Sec. 2)
13. Transfers $6,000,000 in FY 2026 from a specified appropriation to the State Treasurer to
the Secretary of State for distribution to counties for the costs of compliance with this bill.
(Sec. 4)
14. Defines involuntary. (Sec. 2)
15. Makes technical and conforming changes. (Sec. 1, 2, 3)