Arizona Senate votes to clean up permanent voter rolls

(The Center Square) – Arizona lawmakers are closer to putting a check on the state’s permanent mail-in voter registration.

The state Senate has approved Senate Bill 1485 along party lines. If enacted, Arizonans who fail to vote early over four consecutive elections would receive a notification in the mail asking them if they would like to remain registered. Failure to return the card results in the voter’s removal from the roll.

Under current law, a voter is removed only if they request it, mail is returned from the voter address as undeliverable or their status is updated by the state to be inactive.

The county recorder would be required to send out the notification of removal by Dec. 1 of the even numbered year after the voter misses an election. The voter has 30 days to return the notice.

Similar proposals have failed in the past.

Democrats criticized the bill, saying it would disenfranchise voters who may not choose to vote in every election.

“There are thousands of voters who would be purged off of the permanent early voter list under the provisions of this bill right now,” said Sen. Martin Quezada, D-Phoenix, who added the language could infer that missing just one election out of four could trigger the removal notice.

Sponsor Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, R-Scottsdale, said she had legal experts review the language, and it was clear.

“If you vote in at least one election over the four years, you are reauthorized in the programs,” she said. “In other words, if you miss all four consecutive elections, then yes, the notice is triggered.”

The bill, which passed the Senate on Tuesday, now heads to the House for consideration.

Voters who register as independents also would need to vote in primaries or they will receive a notice. Choosing not to vote in a special election or a municipal election would not trigger the notice.The bill would be effective immediately.

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