FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 19, 2025
Arlington, VA – Arizona’s Democrat governor Katie Hobbs has vetoed legislation ensuring that the state’s election results are reported in a secure, accurate, and timely manner.
Earning near unanimous support from Arizona’s election officials, House Bill 2703 would require that voters who drop off their mail-in ballots at county polling locations do so by 7 p.m. the Friday before the election. It would also require that voters on the Active Early Voter List (those who receive a ballot in the mail automatically) confirm their address each election cycle.
National Chairman of the Election Transparency Initiative and former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli issued the following statement:
“Far-Left governor Katie Hobbs had a chance to help fix Arizona’s elections by signing this commonsense and wildly popular bill into law, but what she clearly prefers is a disastrous, weeks-long counting process that’s fueling an epidemic of disenfranchised voters who doubt their ballots are tabulated fairly and honestly.
“Voters deserve the confidence and certainty of same-day results, which were completely achievable if not for Hobbs.”
Voters currently have through the end of voting on Election Day to drop off their mail-in ballots, known as ‘late earlies.’ Due to the volume of such ballots, which are subject to signature verification, curing deadlines, and are often processed last by counties, election results in Arizona have been subject to extraordinary delays.
In the 2024 general election, the Secretary of State reported an estimated 264,554 ‘late early’ ballots, including 210,039 in Maricopa County alone.
The Election Transparency Initiative, a partnership between the American Principles Project (APP) and Susan B. Anthony (SBA) Pro-Life America, was organized to combat federal H.R. 1 and H.R. 4 legislation and advocate for state-based election reforms that voters can trust.
Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore
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