Senator Fernandez introduces measure to protect voter access and speed up election results

Arizona State Senate 

1700 W. Washington St. 

Phoenix, AZ 85007 

Press Release

PHOENIX— Senator Brian Fernandez (LD23) introduced a 4-part piece of legislation, SB1635, that will protect voter access across Arizona, specifically ensuring rural Arizonans are not further disenfranchised by even longer election day lines and unburden election administrators to provide the state with faster results and released the following statement:  

“As elected officials it is our responsibility to pass sound, bipartisan policies that work to make our shared reality better. It goes without saying the Arizona voters deserve fast and accurate election results, but I refuse to give in to the idea that fast results can only be achieved by reducing voters’ access to the ballot box. 

The election proposals being pushed, SB1011 and HB 2703, would result in hundreds of thousands more voters across Arizona standing in line on election day. This proposal would also completely remove the ability of a spouse, family members, household member or caregiver to return another person's ballot after the Friday before election day.

My district encompasses much of rural southern Arizona. SB1011 and HB2703 would necessitate rural voters, who are accustomed to driving long distances to quickly drop off their ballot on the way to work or during their lunchbreak, to stand in long lines on election day with insufficient time to vote. Our state has had a robust vote by mail system for over 20 years that more than 80% of voters here use—gutting this program for the impatience of some and partisanship of others is entirely unacceptable.

Overblown and manufactured outrage cannot guide our policy decisions at the Legislature. Our plan doesn’t just seek to speed up election results but streamline the process across the board. It must be a top priority of the state to ensure every eligible voter can cast a ballot in a common-sense manner.

My bill, SB1635, includes a 4-part plan, each being a historically bipartisan proposal to deliver faster election results and eliminate unnecessary burdens on elections administrators to Arizona: 

1. We will expand in-person early voting to the weekend and Monday before Elections Day.  

2. We will remove the unnecessary requirement that in-person early ballots be signature verified even though these voters already provided ID.  

3. We will allow ballots to be returned to central count for processing throughout elections day. 

4. We will allow voters who show up at an early voting location before election day with their voted mail ballot to opt to show ID and have their ballot skip signature verification. 

These alternatives are common sense, administrative changes that would meaningfully speed up elections results without reducing voter access.”