election committee; security standards; practices

Plain English Breakdown

The bill has passed the legislature but no effective date is provided in the source material, so when it becomes law is unknown based on this text alone.

HB2655: Election Security Standards and Practices Committee

This bill creates a committee led by the Secretary of State to set security rules for elections, create safety checks for voting equipment, and require local election offices to report on their compliance.

What This Bill Does

• Establishes an Election Security Standards and Practices Committee with members including county recorders, city clerks, election officers, and technical experts.
• Requires the committee to create required and recommended security controls for testing and verifying voting equipment.
• Mandates that the committee design a self-assessment questionnaire for local areas to confirm they meet security standards.
• Sets a schedule to update standards by January 1 of each odd-numbered year after public comments are heard.
• Requires all election jurisdictions to submit their completed safety check forms by February 1 of even-numbered years.

Who It Names or Affects

• The Secretary of State
• County recorders and county boards of supervisors
• City and town clerks and local election officers
• Technical experts serving on the new committee

Terms To Know

Jurisdictions

Local areas like cities, towns, or counties that run elections.

Self-assessment questionnaire

A form election offices must fill out to show they follow security rules.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not list specific penalties for failing the self-assessment.
• The text does not define exactly which technical experts will join the committee, only that they are members.
• No effective date is listed in the provided source material.

Official Summary Text

HB2655 - election committee; security standards; practices

Current Bill Text

HB2655 - 572R - I Ver

REFERENCE TITLE:
election committee; security standards; practices

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

HB 2655

Introduced by

Representative
Blattman

AN
ACT

amending title 16, chapter 4, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 16-407.04; relating to the conduct
of elections.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

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

Section 1. Title 16, chapter 4, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 16-407.04, to read:

START_STATUTE
16-407.04.

Election security standards and practices committee; membership;
reviews; schedule

The SECRETARY of state, in consultation and
cooperation with county recorders, county election OFFICERS, city and town
clerks and election officers and county boards of supervisors, shall ESTABLISH
an election security standards and practices committee consisting of
representatives from those elected officials, election administrators and
TECHNICAL experts.� The committee shall:

1. Create and disseminate required
and recommended election security controls to be implemented by election
JURISDICTIONS, including controls for testing and verifying EQUIPMENT.

2. create and disseminate a
self-assessment questionnaire that the JURISDICTIONS must use to confirm
compliance with the standards.

3. ESTABLISH a process and schedule
for regular review of and updates to security standards, practices and
EQUIPMENT and for compliance review as follows:

(
a
) On or
before January 1 of each odd-numbered year, improve and update the standards,
after opportunity for public comment.

(
b
) On or
before February 1 of each odd-numbered year, submit to the Secretary of State
for publication and dissemination a self-assessment questionnaire that
JURISDICTIONS must complete to confirm compliance with that year's standards.

(
c
) On or
before February 1 of each even-numbered year, require each jurisdiction to
submit its completed self-assessment to the Secretary of State.
END_STATUTE