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Senate committee passes bill requiring ballot drop boxes to be monitored

By Greg Hahne
Published: Tuesday, March 22, 2022 - 9:41am
Updated: Friday, June 3, 2022 - 3:32pm

An official ballot drop box at Maricopa County Elections Department
Sky Schaudt/KJZZ
An official ballot drop box at Maricopa County Elections Department's office in Phoenix.

The Arizona Senate Government Elections Committee passed a bill Monday that would require voting drop boxes to be monitored. Ballots cast at drop boxes that are not watched could not be counted by county recorders. 

In the absence of a person to monitor the box, the bill would require 24-hour video surveillance.

Bill sponsor Rep. Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek) argues the measure will increase election security, but Sen. Martin Quezada (D-Phoenix) doesn’t see it that way.

“This doesn’t bring more security, doesn’t bring more reliability. What it does do, is it subjects some voters to an obstacle course and it says only if you can get past that obstacle course can your vote be counted," Quezada said. 

The measure has already passed the House and now goes to the Senate Rules Committee.

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