Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has vetoed HB2703, a bill Republican lawmakers claimed would speed up election results. The legislation would have allowed ballots dropped off in Maricopa County after 7:00 p.m. on the Friday before Election Day to be counted on-site and required voters in other counties to show identification when dropping off ballots after that deadline.
“After the election, we heard from our constituents who were extremely frustrated after waiting days and days to find out who won the election,” said State Senate President Warren Petersen. “The first bill to hit the Governor’s desk is a bill that will give us election results the night of the election.”
In her veto letter, Gov. Katie Hobbs argued that the bill would have effectively eliminated the Active Early Voting List, adding unnecessary hurdles for Arizona’s mail-in voters. She stated, “Making it less convenient to vote is something I have consistently said I cannot support.”
“Unfortunately, any potential compromise was rejected, leading me to believe the focus of the legislation is disenfranchising eligible voters, not delivering faster election results for Arizonans,” read a portion of the letter. “Any bill on this issue must reflect the efforts of good-faith negotiations and uphold Arizona citizens’ access to the ballot box.”
Hobbs also noted that she had proposed compromises, including Friday ballot drop-off restrictions, voter registration portability across counties, and expanded ballot return assistance, but they were not adopted.
In June 2024, the Arizona State Attorney General’s office said it will be opening an investigation into Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs for reportedly being involved in a “pay to play” scheme.
The investigation follows a report revealed a government-funded children’s group home company donated $100,000 to the Democratic governor.
The group home was reportedly later given more funding from the Arizona government, after a previous denial to receive the funds.
