One of the bills we have been actively opposing this session is HB 2547.
This bill sought to ban Voting Centers. Several counties have adopted this model in place of location based precincts; since voter rolls are now digitized, polling places are able to store and access the full county’s voter roles, meaning that any registered voter can vote at any location in the county. This change has made voting easier, more convenient, and more accessible in the counties that have adopted it, and this model enjoys wide support form Arizona voters. Despite there being no link between the voting center model and increased fraud, this bill sought to outlaw their use.
This bill also sought to curtail early in person voting, and would limit each location-based precinct to service no more than 1,000 voters. This would require Maricopa County alone to staff at least 2,300 voting locations.
We have been campaigning against this bill for the last several months, through RTS Alerts and direct contact with legislative offices. Despite a widespread opposition from us, and many other organizations, the bill progressed quickly through the House of Representatives and Senate committees.
The bill came to a vote on the Senate floor on April 2nd. The vote tied, and the bill failed to pass! The abrupt halt to this bill’s progress is almost certainly thanks to advocates like you who care about the accessibility and fairness of elections in our state. Thank you for your advocacy!
We encourage you to check how your senator voted on HB2547 by clicking here, and thank them if they opposed this bill.
While this is good news, we are not yet out of the woods when it comes to this policy! There is a nearly identical Concurrent Resolution that is still active in the Senate. If HCR 2032 passes, it will be put to a popular vote in November, with the intention of implementing all the same voting restrictions. Make sure to read our RTS Alert about it, and oppose HCR 2032.
Thank you for your advocacy!
