Arizona gets its first updated election manual in 4 years

Arizona has a new guidebook for running elections, the first in four years, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes announced Saturday.

Fontes issued the Elections Procedures Manual, often called the "bible" of election administration, after receiving approvals from both the governor and the attorney general, as required by law.

"The result of this collaborative process is an updated manual that should give voters confidence that local and county election officials have what they need to protect the integrity of our elections,” Fontes said in a statement.

The manual, which runs more than 300 pages long, will be in place for the next two-year election cycle, including the 2024 presidential election.

Building on state and federal law, it outlines procedures for everything from voter registration to early voting to the upcoming March 19 presidential preference election.

Fontes' office, in cooperation with the 15 county recorders and tribal election officials, compiled the manual over the past year and then opened it for public input.

“The result of this collaborative process is an updated manual that should give voters confidence that local and county election officials have what they need to protect the integrity of our elections,” Fontes said in a statement.

The version authorized on Saturday reflects changes made after the public comment period.

Most notably, it includes provisions of a 2022 law that requires tighter scrutiny of people who register to vote using the federal voter registration form if those individuals don't submit documents proving their eligibility.

Federal law allows people to register by attesting that they are U.S. citizens, but Republican state lawmakers last year added new requirements.

The law is being contested in U.S. District Court, the manual notes.

Both Gov. Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes praised the work put into the manual, which each approved earlier on Saturday.

Hobbs, who previously served as secretary of state, said she's confident the manual will "ensure our elections achieve the maximum degree of correctness, impartiality, uniformity and efficiency."

Others aren't so certain.

Republican lawmakers have threatened lawsuits, but Rep. Alexander Kolodin, R-Scottsdale and chairman of the House Municipal Oversight and Elections Committee said he couldn't comment on whether those will materialize until he's had time to comb through the manual.

However, Kolodin added, he said his "fear" is that many of his committee's suggestions never made the cut.

This is the first new manual in four years, although state law requires a new manual every odd-numbered year.

A 2021 version produced by then-Secretary of State Hobbs faltered when former Attorney General Mark Brnovich demanded numerous changes to the document. While Hobbs agreed with some of them, she rejected others. The standoff effectively sidelined the updated manual, leaving a 2019 manual as the guidance for the 2022 elections.

Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-228-7566 and follow her on Threads as well as on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @maryjpitzl.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes issues new election guidebook