The proposed bill, HB2851, amends existing election laws in Arizona to enhance the chain of custody for ballots printed for county-administered elections. It mandates that the county board of supervisors maintain a detailed chain of custody record for each ballot, starting from the printing location and continuing through transportation, storage, and delivery to the county recorder and voting locations. This record must include signatures and timestamps for each point of contact, as well as documentation for any unvoted ballots delivered to unoccupied locations. Additionally, the bill requires live video recording of ballot custody at various stages, including signature verification, and stipulates that all damaged or defective ballots replaced with duplicates must be documented in the chain of custody record.

Furthermore, the bill introduces a requirement for the county recorder to maintain a record of all voting irregularities that occur during early, emergency, and election day voting. This record must detail the nature of the irregularity, its location, the individuals present, and any responses from election officials. The county recorder is also tasked with providing this record to legislative leaders and the Secretary of State within 30 days after the election. The bill removes the previous condition that law enforcement assistance in transferring ballot boxes is only required if practicable, and it specifies that ballot boxes must be locked with tamper-evident seals. Overall, these changes aim to improve the security and transparency of the election process in Arizona.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 16-503, 16-564, 16-608, 16-621, 16-602
House Engrossed Version: 16-503, 16-564, 16-608, 16-621, 16-602