PHOENIX – In response to the House Bill 2703 advancing through the Arizona Legislature, All Voting is Local Action State Director Alex Gulotta released the following statement:
“HB 2073 presents significant concerns for voter access in Arizona. While it is framed as a measure to streamline vote counting, the bill prioritizes efficiency over the rights of active and engaged voters. Additionally, it limits legislative accountability by allowing lawmakers to avoid advancing meaningful pro-voter policies while placing an unprecedented number of legislative referrals on the 2024 ballot. We should focus on reinforcing our democracy and expanding access to the ballot, not restricting it.
“We have no doubt that Governor Hobbs will veto the bill and continue protecting Arizona voters. Moreover, commonsense pro-voter solutions to the issue of efficiency have been publicly identified and widely advocated for, including requiring early voting during the full weekend and Monday before election day, allowing ballots to be returned to central processing throughout election day and allocating the necessary resources to verify and tabulate them in real time, and also limiting the number of legislative referrals to the ballot. These measures would streamline the tabulation process while protecting and strengthening voter freedoms.”
A joint letter from Arizona advocacy groups can be read here.