By Kiera Riley and Ray Stern | Arizona Republic
Lawmakers in Arizona have introduced reams of election-related bills this year, many of which are based on unsupported claims of fraud or other conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.
About 140 bills of nearly 1,700 bills submitted at the Legislature this year deal with some aspect of elections. Some of the bills by Republican and Democratic legislators make only technical changes to voting or the election system. About two dozen are progressive ideas supported by Democrats that don’t stand a chance in the GOP-dominated Legislature.
The remaining proposals — the roughly 100 Republican-sponsored bills outlined here — address issues of security in elections and who is allowed to vote. Many have raised concerns about voter suppression and practical governance of elections.
Most of the bills likely will get weeded out during the legislative process. But voters who think the election was stolen — and critics who fear democracy may be in peril — are waiting to see how Arizona law might change this year.
Eighteen lawmakers are listed as prime sponsors of the 100-plus bills, but just five are responsible for more than half: Sen. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, the chair of the Senate Government Committee that will hear election bills, sponsored 23 of them. Sen. Wendy Rogers, R-Flagstaff, has the second-highest total of the list, with 12.
Reps. Mark Finchem, R-Oro Valley, Shawnna Bolick, R-Phoenix, and Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, each submitted nine in the House. Finchem and Bolick are seeking the Republican nomination for secretary of state, the office that oversees Arizona’s elections.
Legislative rules require a committee hearing on each bill by Feb. 18 — House bills in House committees, Senate bills in Senate committees. Bills that fail that first step likely won’t progress for the year. If the bills pass the full House and Senate, the next important date for them is March 25. That’s when bills must again be heard in committee, but House bills must be heard in Senate committees and vice-versa.
The Arizona Republic will update the following list throughout the legislative session to help the public keep track of the many proposals:
Election-related bills in the AZ Senate
