PHOENIX — Arizonans have been early voting for more than 30 years, but maybe not for much longer.
Some Republican lawmakers want everyone who is physically capable to vote in person on the day of the elections.
"One day, one vote, in-person, paper ballots," Republican Rep. Rachel Jones said at a previous hearing.
House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 2032 would put an end to early voting in the state, create precincts limited to 1,000 voters and reduce voting centers in Maricopa and Pima Counties.
"It streamlines voting. It makes it less chaotic and actually easier to do," Jones said at a previous hearing.
Opposing lawmakers think it will have the opposite effect.
“It’s a big question as to why we are packing such a huge policy change into how our elections are run into a ballot question," Democratic Sen. Priya Sundareshan said.
A majority of Maricopa County votes by mail.
82% of voters cast their ballot by mail in 2022 and 91% in 2020, according to the Maricopa County Recorder's Office.
"It would take Arizona back a few decades," Tammy Patrick said.
Patrick, a former Maricopa County Election worker and current CEO of Programs at the Election Center, said early voting evolved into what it is today in order to better accommodate people's right to vote.
"The expansion of voting on days other than just Tuesday all across the country, in every state, has really followed what voters have asked for and voting behavior," Patrick said.
If the resolution passes, Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer said they would be able to make the switch happen, but it would be a huge undertaking.
“It would require a lot of time, a lot more money, a ton more voting locations. It would require a ton more temporary election workers and it would require a ton of education," Richer said.
The house passed the resolution and it is one Senate vote away from ending up on the November ballot.
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