Arizona bill would prohibit mail-in ballots from being dropped off at polls

PHOENIX — A new bill would prohibit Arizona voters from dropping off mail-in ballots at polls on Election Day or during early voting.

Introduced by Republican state Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, SB 1046 would still allow mail-in ballots, as long as they are actually mailed.

If a voter on the permanent early voter list does not mail in a ballot, they can vote in person at their polling location using a provisional ballot, the bill states.

“What that bill would do would reaffirm what it is when you elect to vote by mail, which is you get the ballot sent to you, and you need to return it,” Ugenti-Rita told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday.

“You will no longer be able to drop it off at a polling location. You of course can vote in person like a poll voter, but you just won’t be able to drop off the ballot.”

She said the bill’s purpose is to cut down on backlog that has contributed to a delay in election results.

Arizona’s ballots for the 2018 midterm elections were not completely counted until 13 days after polls closed.

“What it’s going to do is help reduce a lot of the congestion that we’re seeing when it comes to verifying these ballots and, of course, tabulating them, because none of that can take place until after 7 p.m. on Election Day, for those ballots that are dropped off,” she said.

She said the bill is not preventing anyone from voting and is not as “dramatic” as opponents are making it out to be.

“It’s easy to just label this stuff as voter suppression and use inflammatory language, and if you really get into the policy of these bills, they’re far from that,” Ugenti-Rita said.

One of those opponents is Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes.

State legislators are trying to take away your ability to drop off early ballots at your polling location. Sign my petition today and make our voices heard: Don’t Take Away Our Voting Rights. https://t.co/zftDN74crf#ProtectDemocracy

— Adrian Fontes (@Adrian_Fontes) January 28, 2019

“I’m opposed to the idea as it stands right now, because it does looks like it violates federal law,” Fontes told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday, referencing the Help America Vote Act passed in 2002.

He said SB 1046 could lead to fewer Arizonans voting.

“I do think it might keep some people from voting because a lot of folks like to take their time at home, fill (ballots) out and then for their own personal reasons they want to bring it in and drop it off themselves.”

He said any backlog leading to a delay in election results is not caused by mail-in ballots dropped off at polling places.

“The backlog is caused by an antiquated system that we are currently in the process of replacing,” he said.

“With any luck, we’ll be done with that by 2020, so this idea doesn’t solve that problem because that problem is going to get resolved by other means.”

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Griselda Zetino contributed to this report.