Before key deadline, Hobbs, GOP, county officials inch toward compromise on Arizona election bill

After days of public sparring over a law that could disrupt Arizona's elections this year, a potential compromise emerged two days shy of a crucial deadline.

Whether it has the support of all the key players — lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, Gov. Katie Hobbs and Arizona's county election officials — was unclear late Wednesday. The Senate postponed a planned evening vote on Senate Bill 1733 to Thursday morning. The bill is intended to make changes to a law that requires automatic recounts in close races.

If unaltered, the delay caused by a recount could potentially deprive military and overseas voters from getting their general election ballots in time. It also could prevent Arizona's presidential electors from submitting their votes to the Electoral College in time to determine the national winner of the presidential race.

The compromise proposal made public Wednesday goes beyond fixing the complications of the recount law. It also gives Republicans some of the policies that Hobbs vetoed last year, such as putting explicit guidelines in law on how to verify a voter's signature on their early ballot.

Hobbs was able to leverage the brinksmanship nature of the negotiations to eliminate some pet GOP proposals that had nothing to do with the automatic recount complications, such as permanently moving the primary election to May and requiring public high schools and district offices to serve as polling places.

The prospect of a Friday deadline pushed the parties back to the negotiating table. Any changes require a bipartisan, two-thirds vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as the governor's signature on an emergency measure so the bill becomes law immediately.

County officials have said since last fall that they need a fix that would cut 19 days from the primary election process and 17 days from the general election calendar.

The bills — identical measures in the House and Senate — do that in a variety of ways, including moving the August 6 primary to July 30, a savings of seven days.

Other key proposals:

• Embed in state law guidelines for how to verify a voter's signature on their ballot. Currently, the guidelines can change if the Arizona secretary of state and county election officials agree.

• Allow voters who return their early ballots to the polls on Election Day to show ID and have their ballot accepted n site. This would save time by allowing the ballot to be counted on election night and reduce the strain “late early” ballots puts on the tabulation process

• Reduce the number of days a voter can "cure" their ballot to five calendar days, instead of five working days. Curing allows a voter to correct questions about the signature on their mail-in ballot.

• Other procedural changes, such as how much time party officials would be allowed to proof a ballot format, that would trim timelines.

Rep. Alexander Kolodin, R-Scottsdale, was a key player in the negotiations. He outlined the compromise provisions in a meeting of House Republicans, urging them to back the bill, even if it doesn't give them everything they want.

The tentative agreement, he said, gives Republicans many of the election integrity measures they have sought, such as stricter signature verification.

“This bill, under a Democratic governor, contains that reform, will be signed and take immediate effect," he said.

Hobbs' office would not comment on the current provisions. The House is expected to take up an identical version of SB1733 if it clears the Senate on Thursday.

But Kolodin said the governor was insistent that Republicans drop their plan to move the primary election to May, beginning in 2026. That was struck from the tentative agreement, along with a related provision that public high schools and school district offices serve as polling places.

What do the proposals mean for election officials?

County supervisors and election directors across the state unanimously supported the deal as of Wednesday morning, according to a statement from the Arizona Association of Counties. But recorders — the elected officials tasked with handling early ballots and most impacted by the proposed changes to elections procedures and timelines — were split.

Some said they staunchly opposed provisions such as condensing the signature curing period for voters and codifying signature verification guidelines. Others indicated reluctance to some lawmaker proposals, but said getting a timeline fix across the finish line took precedence.

If the changes pass, officials will need to adjust their plans for upcoming elections to accommodate an earlier primary date and a condensed signature curing period.

Moving up the primary means a handful of related deadlines will need to change. Those include candidate filing dates and the voter registration cutoff.

Officials also need to ensure locations serving as polling places are still available during the new voting period.

If not, they’ll have to find replacement voting sites. The primary is still months away, so officials have time on their side. But some counties have increasingly struggled to recruit polling places amid democratic distrust and election-related threats.

The abbreviated curing period will force election staff to work over the weekend. Most county recorders, who are tasked with verifying and curing signatures on early ballots, said they had no qualms with that plan.

“We will make a very significant effort to make sure every voter gets an opportunity to cure his ballot if needed,” said Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, a Republican.

Still, some raised red flags. Pima County Recorder Gabriella Cázares-Kelly, a Democrat, said in a statement that she opposed the move because it could “disenfranchise” rural and tribal voters. Coconino County Recorder Patty Hansen, also a Democrat, said the change should be a last resort.

Looking forward, a provision that would change protocol on early ballots handed in on election day could have ramifications for Arizona's counties.

The proposed change, which would take effect in 2026, would allow a voter to choose to stand in line and show identification to drop off their early ballots at the polls. That way, the so-called "late early" ballots wouldn't have to go through signature verification.

Some lawmakers say the change could help counties process those ballots faster and expedite results.

But the proposal means county officials would have to create a new line within each polling site and find software to log the new process. Officials said they would also have to train poll workers, who are often in short supply, to thoroughly check over each voter's ballot envelope while trying to keep wait times reasonable.

Sasha Hupka covers county government and election administration for The Arizona Republic. Do you have a tip to share on elections or voting? Reach her at sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SashaHupka. Follow her on Threads: @sashahupkasnaps.

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: Hobbs, GOP near compromise on Arizona election calendar fix