early ballot return; voter intimidation

HB2507 - early ballot return; voter intimidation

Children Crime 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

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

HB2507: Rules for Early Ballot Return and Voter Intimidation

This bill updates Arizona law to list specific actions that are illegal at polling places, including rules about showing ballots, interfering with voters, and handling voting machines.

What This Bill Does

Makes it a crime to campaign within 75 feet of the main entrance of a polling place or on-site early voting location on election day.
Prohibits people from disabling or removing official voting machines or records from officials' custody.
Bans showing another voter's ballot in a way that reveals how they voted, unless an authorized helper is assisting them.
Makes it illegal to ask voters to show their ballots or receive completed ballots from anyone other than election officials.
Forbids placing marks on a ballot that could identify which specific person cast the vote.
Requires voters who received a ballot at a polling place to return it before leaving.

Who It Names or Affects

People who campaign near polling places
Voters and people assisting voters at early voting locations or polling places
Election officials responsible for managing ballots and machines

Terms To Know

Class 2 misdemeanor: A type of crime that is less serious than a felony but more serious than some other minor offenses.
Electioneers: People who try to influence voters by campaigning or supporting candidates near the voting site.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not state a specific date when these new rules will officially start.
The text defines what is illegal but does not list all possible punishments beyond calling it a class 2 misdemeanor.

Bill History

2026-01-26 House
House second read
2026-01-22 House
House Rules: None
2026-01-22 House
House Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections: None
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