PHOENIX — A push to make statewide voting in August’s primary and November’s general election mail-only is under consideration by Arizona lawmakers.
Arizona law allows for jurisdictional elections to be done in this way, but Secretary of State Katie Hobbs called on legislators to enact it statewide on Wednesday.
This comes a day after former vice president Joe Biden won the state’s Presidential Preference Election in the middle of a worldwide coronavirus outbreak where health officials are calling for "social distancing."
Confusion swirled just days before the election after the Maricopa County Recorder announced a plan to mail out more ballots and close polling stations.
The county board soundly rejected the plan that same day, and in-person polling remained at over a hundred locations.
“It would be unreasonable to ask these officials to once again overcome these circumstances,” Hobbs said.
“It is vital that we build more flexibility into the law, even if only on a temporary basis, to allow elections officials to adapt to the circumstances on the grounds to best protect voters’ health while also preserving the ability to exercise their right to vote.”
The proposal was introduced last session and is under discussion by lawmakers.
