In this November 6, 2020, photo, Arizona elections officials continue to count ballots inside the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office in Phoenix./Maricopa County photo
By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services
The next time you cast an early ballot it looks like you’re going to have to provide more information.
Amid claims of protecting the integrity of elections, Republicans on the House Committee on Government and Elections approved a measure to require voters to fill out an affidavit that includes their date of birth and either their driver’s license number or the number of their county-issued voter ID card. Then county election officials would be required to be sure these match what they have on file.
This would be in addition to the current signature-matching mandates in state law.
Separately the same Republican-controlled panel, also on a party-line vote, agreed to allow anyone with enough money to buy a recount of any — and all — elections, and at any level they wanted, right up through the entire state.
And under SB 1010 they could demand not just a regular recount, which is done by running the ballots again through tabulation equipment, but even a hand count as long as they could afford the cost — no one had any figures — and the request was made within five days after the formal certification of the results and could afford the cost.
But it is SB 1713 on early voting which has potentially broader impact on individual voters and whether their ballot gets counted.
