View Scorecard for Year
Responsive Gov’s Grade TL;DR
Arizona’s election landscape was defined by executive resilience and administrative problem solving this year. Governor Hobbs served as a firewall, neutralizing a barrage of restrictive legislation passed by the Arizona State Legislature and ensuring only minor technical adjustments were enacted. Meanwhile, the secretary of state and local officials demonstrated crisis management excellence, collaborating effectively to rectify a longstanding MVD data error that had compromised registration records. This combination of legislative defense and operational competence earned Arizona a B+.
Looking Back
Where Arizona Started at the Beginning of 2025
- Automatic Voter Registration: No
- Online Voter Registration: DMV ID
- Same-Day Registration: No
- Restoration of Rights: Some Lifetime Disenfranchisement
- Vote by Mail: No-Excuse
- Electronic Registration Information Center Member: Yes
- Early Voting Opportunities: Regular Ballot Early Voting
- ID Requirements: Strict Non-Photo ID
Relying on the Cost of Voting Index for Arizona as of 2024, we considered the state a middle tier state for pre-existing voting policy and compared its 2025 activity against other middle tier states.
How Our Tier Compares
2025: This Past Year
Legislative Action
This past year, the Arizona Legislature introduced more than 100 bills that would have made changes to Arizona elections. In the end, the Legislature made technical changes to the process of certifying election administrators and made some minor changes related to voters on the active early voting list.
- SB 1319 clarifies when election officer certifications expire and establishes new certification deadlines based on the date the officer was originally certified.
- HB 2129 directs county recorders to send election notices to only active voters on the active early voting list, requires inactive voters that are removed from the list to either confirm or update their voter registration information to receive early ballots again, and clarifies that county election offices do not have to remain open the weekends before and after the election for voters to cure ballots if there are no outstanding ballots to be cured at that point.
Executive Action
- SB 1097 would have restricted counties from replacing precinct-based polling places with countywide voting centers, though it still allowed centers as a supplement.
- SB 1098 would have required anyone returning a mail ballot in person to present a valid voter ID (in addition to the existing signature-based identification procedures), which would have ended the ability to drop off ballots for household and immediate family members.
- SB 1375 would have required the county recorder to provide broad public access to the voter registration rolls through an internet portal.
- SB 1536 would have required that election contests be fully resolved before declaring a winner in races where the office is currently held by an appointee. This could invite frivolous challenges and delay certification of legitimate election results.
- HB 2017 would have eliminated early in-person voting and the use of vote centers on Election Day.
- HB 2060 sought to assert that Arizona has sovereign authority over federal voter qualifications within the state. However, it conflicts with federal law and could expose Arizona to significant litigation risk.
- HB 2153 would have allowed political parties to have challengers present at early voting and emergency voting locations.
- HB 2205 would have authorized the secretary of state to adopt a new elections procedure manual. Still, it would have limited its “force of law” to only those sections that the Legislature specifically authorized the secretary to include.
- HB 2206 would have prohibited the state from joining any multi-state list maintenance organization that requires the state to provide information from voter registration records, thereby requiring the state to leave the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC).
- HB 2440 would have prohibited the attorney general from prosecuting, bringing criminal charges, or filing a civil action against a county supervisor based on their vote against certifying a vote canvass if the vote was based on evidence that suggested potential irregularities in the election process or a “good faith belief” that there are outstanding issues that could affect the integrity or accuracy of results.
- HB 2651 would have required all voting machine parts to be 100% sourced and assembled in the United States, despite evidence that this is technically impossible.
- HB 2703 proposed several administrative changes, including shifting the deadline for dropping off early ballots from Election Day to the preceding Friday.
Administrative Action
Since the error was discovered, the MVD and secretary’s team have worked closely and quickly to clear the list and communicate to voters. Both agencies have made process improvements to prevent future issues. Election officials throughout the state have also responded quickly and efficiently to various legal developments that have changed — and continue to change — operational plans on a dime. Quick and effective action by the secretary’s team and the MVD will continue to help ensure that disruptions to the Arizona electorate are as minimal as possible moving forward into the midterms.