The Arizona House of Representatives Republican majority celebrated the passage of HB2703, a bill set to improve election integrity in the Grand Canyon State.
HB2703 contains several provisions to speed up Arizona's infamously slow vote counting. The first of these is establishing a firm deadline for early ballots to be returned at voting locations by 7 p.m. on the Friday before Election Day.
Additionally, Arizona's counties must provide on-site vote tabulation during the early voting period, including the Saturday and Monday before Election Day.
Moreover, chain-of-custody procedures for early votes will be identical to those used for Election Day ballots. A confirmation system of mail voters' addresses will be established to ensure voter rolls are accurate and ballots are sent to the correct address. Finally, bureaucratic hurdles preventing schools from acting as polling places will be removed.
"We're bringing common sense back to the process," said State Representative Alex Kolodin (R-3), "Every election, we see massive delays because hundreds of thousands of ballots flood in at the last minute, overwhelming election officials and leaving voters in the dark for days. That's unacceptable. This reform makes sure ballots are processed on time, votes are counted faster, and Arizonans get the election results they deserve—without unnecessary chaos. It also ensures that mail-in ballots go to the right place by requiring voters to confirm their address, preventing voters from receiving the wrong ballot and not receiving their own ballot in a timely fashion."
Similarly, State Representative Laurin Hendrix (R-14) said, "Arizonans deserve an election system that is transparent, secure, and free of unnecessary delays. HB2703 delivers exactly that—eliminating unnecessary delays and reinforcing the integrity of our elections."
Finally, Speaker of the Arizona House, Steve Montenegro (R-13), said, "Arizona voters are tired of waiting days—sometimes weeks—for election results. That's why House Republicans made fixing this problem a top priority. This bill cuts through the confusion and delays, making sure ballots are counted faster and with greater security. We're delivering real election reforms that make sense, and I appreciate our Republican members—especially Representatives Kolodin and Hendrix—for leading the charge to get this done."
