Hey, Arizona!

Before we get into today’s edition, two quick housekeeping items.

First, you’ll notice that things look a little different this week. Let me know what you think!

Second, you're invited to join Votebeat next week for a virtual event on how President Donald Trump’s administration could impact the 2026 midterms. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, a Democrat, and former Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, a Republican, will discuss the many implications of the administration’s push for increased federal oversight of elections. Save your seat here.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Needless to say, it’s been a busy few weeks in the desert. The FBI and DHS appear to be investigating the state’s 2020 election, even though it has already been exhaustively reviewed. Meanwhile, Attorney General Kris Mayes and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes — both Democrats — are preliminarily imploring county officials not to hand over full, unredacted voter files to the feds.

But today, I want to look forward rather than backwards. Let’s talk about what election-related questions voters might see on their ballots this year.

Arizonans look poised to weigh in on two measures from GOP state lawmakers that would significantly alter voting in our state. Legislators can refer such measures to the ballot with a simple majority vote in both chambers, bypassing Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs’ veto pen.

One, HCR2016, is on hold in the Senate Judiciary and Elections Committee. It would force counties to prescribe polling locations based on voters’ precincts.

Currently, just one county — Pinal County, sandwiched between Phoenix and Tucson — solely uses a precinct voting model. In other parts of the country, transitioning from countywide voting sites to precinct-based ones has proved rocky.

Another, known as the “Fast, Accurate, Secure, Transparent Election Results Act,” would implement new identification requirements for voters to cast ballots by mail, among other changes. Mirror versions of the measure — HCR2001 and SCR1001 — just passed committees in the Senate and House, and are now headed for floor votes.

State law currently mandates that voters casting ballots in person show photo identification or two non-photo documents bearing their name and address, such as a utility bill.

But the vast majority of our state’s voters cast ballots by mail. Those ballots are then run through a signature verification process, a safeguard against voter fraud. HCR2001 and SCR1001 would require all voters to provide "valid, government-issued proof of identity" to vote in person or "by any other method.”

It's unclear exactly how that might work — and if voters approve the measure in its current form, legislators would likely have to figure that out next year.

Some see the GOP ballot referrals as an opportunity to pass another initiative. A group called Protect the Vote Arizona hopes to enshrine a fundamental right to vote in our state’s constitution.

You’re likely to see that measure — called the “Free, Fair, and Secure Elections Act” — on your ballot, too.

That’s it for this week — but I’ll be in touch again soon. Know someone who might enjoy reading this newsletter? Tell them to sign up here so they don’t miss out.

In the meantime, feel free to send tips and comments to [email protected].

On the Lighter Side

It’s no secret that election years can be stressful, depressing and anxiety-inducing — but I was recently heartened to see local officials and budding software engineers working together at Arizona State University’s first-ever artificial intelligence and elections hackathon.

The event, held late last month, connected officials from across the state with students to build tools to solve election problems.

As I hopped from table to table, I saw teams dreaming up tools to improve voting access, bolster candidate education, counteract misinformation and more.

The winning team created a tool designed to support election office staff by converting scanned or handwritten documents into digitally readable text.

But I was also intrigued by the team that took second place. Their multilingual chatbot aims to help election offices respond to voter questions quickly and clearly.

AI will undoubtedly pose new challenges in our elections — but these tools are proof that it can also be used for good.