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HB2507 • 2026

early ballot return; voter intimidation

HB2507 - early ballot return; voter intimidation

Elections
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Stephanie Stahl Hamilton, Anna Abeytia, Seth Blattman, Junelle Cavero, Janeen Connolly, Patty Contreras, Quantá Crews, Oscar De Los Santos, Brian Garcia, Nancy Gutierrez, Sarah Liguori, Mariana Sandoval, Stephanie Simacek, Stacey Travers, Betty J Villegas
Last action
2026-01-26
Official status
House second read
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on penalties or enforcement mechanisms.

Early Ballot Return; Voter Intimidation

This bill amends Arizona's laws to criminalize interfering with voters returning their early ballots and defines harassment as behavior that constitutes a violation of section 13-2921.

What This Bill Does

  • Amends existing law to make it illegal to interfere with someone delivering an early ballot to the correct location.
  • Defines harassment in relation to voter intimidation according to section 13-2921.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Voters returning early ballots
  • People who might try to harass or intimidate voters

Terms To Know

Harassment
Behavior that constitutes a violation of section 13-2921.
Early ballot return
The process of returning a completed ballot before Election Day.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not specify the penalties for breaking these new rules.
  • It is unclear how this bill will be enforced or what specific actions are considered illegal harassment under section 13-2921.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-26 House

    House second read

  2. 2026-01-22 House

    House Rules: None

  3. 2026-01-22 House

    House Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections: None

  4. 2026-01-22 House

    House first read

Official Summary Text

HB2507 - early ballot return; voter intimidation

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HB2507 - 572R - I Ver

REFERENCE TITLE:
early ballot return; voter intimidation

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

HB 2507

Introduced by

Representatives
Stahl Hamilton: Abeytia, Blattman, Cavero, Connolly, Contreras P, Crews, De
Los Santos, Garcia, Gutierrez, Liguori, Sandoval, Simacek, Travers, Villegas

AN
ACT

amending section 16-1018, Arizona
Revised Statutes; relating to elections.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Section 16-1018, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
16-1018.

Additional unlawful acts by persons with respect to voting;
classification

A person who commits any of the following acts is guilty of a
class 2 misdemeanor:

1. Knowingly electioneers on election day within a
polling place or in a public manner within seventy-five feet of the main
outside entrance of a polling place or on-site early voting location
established by a county recorder pursuant to section 16-542, subsection
A.

2. Intentionally disables or removes from the
polling place, on-site early voting location or custody of an election
official a voting machine or a voting record.

3. Knowingly removes an official ballot from a
polling place before closing the polls.

4. Shows another voter's ballot to any person after
it is prepared for voting in such a manner as to reveal the contents, except to
an authorized person lawfully assisting the voter. A voter who makes
available an image of the voter's own ballot by posting on the internet or in
some other electronic medium is deemed to have consented to retransmittal of
that image and that retransmittal does not constitute a violation of this
section.

5. Knowingly solicits a voter to show the voter's
ballot, or receives from a voter a ballot prepared for voting, unless the
person is an election official or unless otherwise authorized by law.

6. Knowingly receives an official ballot from a
person other than an election official having charge of the ballots.

7. Knowingly delivers an official ballot to a voter,
unless the voter is an election official.

8. Except for a completed ballot transmitted by an
elector by fax or other electronic format pursuant to section 16-543,
knowingly places a mark on the voter's ballot by which it can be identified as
the one voted by the voter.

9. After having received a ballot as a voter,
knowingly fails to return the ballot to the election official before leaving
the polling place or on-site early voting location.

10. Knowingly interferes with a voter
or knowingly engages in conduct that is directed at one or more persons who are
delivering or attempting to deliver a voted ballot to a lawful recipient or
receptacle and that constitutes harassment as PRESCRIBED in section 13-2921.
END_STATUTE