election worker harassment task force

HB2656 - election worker harassment task force

Elections Labor

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor: Seth Blattman
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.

HB2656: Election Worker Harassment Task Force

This bill creates a new task force in the Secretary of State's office to coordinate, investigate, and handle cases involving harassment against election workers.

What This Bill Does

Establishes an election worker harassment task force within the Secretary of State's office.
Requires the Attorney General to appoint two assistant attorneys general (one from criminal division, one from civil litigation) and two law enforcement officers to join the group.
Allows the Secretary of State to appoint four election officers with balanced political party representation and two election workers representing different parties or no party preference.
Directs the task force to coordinate, investigate, prosecute, or refer for prosecution violations related to this chapter.
Mandates that the task force submit an annual report by January 1 starting in 2028 detailing its activities and reports received.

Who It Names or Affects

The Secretary of State's office, which provides administrative support and meeting space for the group.
Election workers who are seasonal employees or volunteers helping with elections.
Election officers who are elected or appointed individuals managing election duties.
State agencies including the Attorney General's Office and law enforcement partners.

Terms To Know

Election worker: A seasonal, part-time, full-time employee, or volunteer who helps run elections for state or local governments.
Election officer: An elected or appointed person whose job includes managing, supporting, declaring, or regulating election results.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how much money will be used to fund the task force's operations.
No effective date is listed in the provided source material.

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

HB2656 - election worker harassment task force

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB2656 - 572R - I Ver

REFERENCE TITLE:
election worker harassment task force

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

HB 2656

Introduced by

Representative
Blattman

AN
ACT

amending title 16, chapter 7, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 16-1025; relating to
elections.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

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

Section 1. Title 16, chapter 7, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 16-1025, to read:

START_STATUTE
16-1025.

Election worker harassment task force; membership; duties; annual
report; definitions

A. The election worker harassment
task force is established in the secretary of state's office and consists of
the following members:

1. One assistant attorney general
from the criminal division of the attorney general's office who is appointed by
the attorney general.

2. One assistant attorney general
from the civil litigation division of the attorney general's office who is
appointed by the attorney general.

3. Two members of law enforcement who
are appointed by the attorney general.

4. Two election workers who are
appointed by the secretary of state and who are members of different political
parties or at least one of whom is registered as no party preference.

5. Four election officers who are
appointed by the secretary of state, not more than two of whom are members of
the same political party.

B. The
task force shall:

1. Elect
a chairperson from among its membership.

2. Meet
as often as the chairperson deems necessary.

3. Coordinate,
investigate, prosecute or refer for prosecution violations of this chapter.

4. On or
before January 1, 2028 and each year thereafter, the task force shall SUBMIT a
report of its ACTIVITIES, including the number of and nature of reports
received by the task force, to the governor, the president of the senate, the
speaker of the house of representatives, the chairperson of the house of
representatives federalism, military affairs and elections committee, or its
successor committee, and the chairperson of the Senate judiciary and elections
committee, or its successor committee, and shall provide a copy of this report
to the secretary of state.

C. The
secretary of state shall:

1. Provide
ADMINISTRATIVE support to the task force, including record retention.

2. Provide
the task force with meeting space.

3. Post
the task force's annual report on the secretary of state's website.

D. For
the purposes of this section:

1. "Election
officer" means an elected or appointed INDIVIDUAL who is engaged in
elections administered by this state or a city, town, county, school district
or other POLITICAL subdivision of this state and whose duties include administering,
supporting, ascertaining, announcing, declaring or regulating elections.

2. "Election
worker" includes a seasonal, part-time or full-time employee
or a volunteer who is engaged in elections administered by this state or a
city, town, county, school district or other political subdivision of this
state and whose duties include administering, supporting, ascertaining,
announcing, declaring or regulating elections.
END_STATUTE