Arizona House passes emergency elections fix to protect overseas military voting

The Arizona House on Feb. 2 passed House Bill 20 22 as an emergency measure, voting 56-0 to extend technical changes adopted in 2024 that lawmakers said are needed to protect overseas military voters.

Representative Collin, the bill sponsor on the floor, told members that congressional changes to presidential and overseas voting deadlines required a state-level fix in 2024 and that parts of that fix now must be extended. "If this body had not come together to fix that issue, none of our overseas members of the military would have been able to vote in the primary," Collin said, urging adoption of the floor amendment and the bill.

The bill also includes clarifying language about the presence of political-party observers. Collin told the House the language is a bipartisan measure to ensure observers "are indeed permitted at everywhere that voting takes place," including polling places, early vote centers and ballot-replacement sites.

Members adopted the sponsor's substitute floor amendment and then gave the bill a due-pass recommendation from the Committee of the Whole. On third reading the House treated the measure as an emergency requiring a two-thirds vote and approved it 56 ayes, 0 nays; the clerk was instructed to record the action and convey the bill to the Senate.

The vote record as read by the clerk did not list a roll-call by name in the final tally; several members offered brief explanations of their votes on the floor prior to the vote. The measure was signed in open session and conveyed to the Senate for further action.

Next steps: Because the House passed HB 20 22 as an emergency measure, the Senate must consider the bill; if the Senate approves the emergency designation, the measure would take effect under the emergency terms described on the House floor.