The bill HB2305 seeks to improve the transparency and oversight of the signature verification process for early, provisional, and conditional provisional ballots in Arizona. It allows representatives from the two largest political parties to observe the verification process from a distance of six feet, while ensuring that they cannot access or disclose any personal identifying information of voters. The bill also mandates the maintenance of detailed logs by county recorders and election officials, documenting the actions of election board workers, including verification outcomes, which must be made available daily to political parties and candidates upon request. Violations of these provisions are classified as a class 5 felony.

Key changes from current law include the introduction of specific observer provisions and the requirement for detailed logs, while removing previous mandates for bipartisan challenge review boards and chain of custody documentation. The bill aims to balance transparency with voter privacy, addressing concerns raised by the Governor regarding the potential burdens on election administrators.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 16-546
House Engrossed Version: 16-546
Senate Engrossed Version: 16-546