PHOENIX — Gov. Katie Hobbs has rejected multiple bills attempting to modify how Arizona conducts its elections.
Among the eight bills that Hobbs vetoed Thursday, three of them dealt with a topic that's generated, in recent years, much vitriol and criticism in Arizona: elections.
House Bill 2415 would have changed Arizona's eligibility requirement for remaining on the state's active early voting list. Current law allows a voter to skip two election cycles before the county recorder informs them of steps they need to take to continue getting mailed an early ballot.
The bill Hobbs vetoed would have narrowed the timespan down to one election cycle.
"I stand ready to sign bills that make voting more accessible, accurate, and secure," Hobbs wrote in her veto letter. "This bill accomplishes none of these goals."
Senate Bill 1074 would have established specific standards for tabulation equipment used in Arizona. If the equipment was not manufactured in the U.S. and failed to meet standards set by the Department of Defense, then the bill would have prohibited the equipment from being used as the primary method to tabulate votes.
SB 1074 would have additionally outlined a process for appointing a special master "to review the source codes for any electronic tabulating equipment in any instance where the tabulation of votes is at issue."
In her veto letter, the governor wrote the problem that SB 1074 purports to solve "does not exist."
House Bill 2322 would have designated the Secretary of State's July 2020 Signature Verification Guide as the minimum requirement for the comparison of ballot signatures. The bill also specified that signatures that cannot be verified must be rejected.
The governor said the standards set in HB 2322 were "already several years old" and would more appropriately be included in the state's Election Procedures Manual.
State Rep. Alexander Kolodin, R-District 3, pointed out how HB 2322 would have codified into law verification rules set when Hobbs was Arizona's secretary of state.
“Right now, Arizona has no laws setting any signature verification rules for early ballots, which help ensure that only lawful early voter’s vote. What ground could be more common making her own rules the law? " Kolodin said in a statement.
Other bills vetoed by Hobbs this week would have forced doctors to take all medical measures to preserve the life of an infant "born alive," toughened penalties for vandalizing monuments, and modify requirements for the state's sex offender registry.
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