agricultural improvement districts; mail ballots

SB1460 - 572R - I Ver

REFERENCE TITLE:
agricultural improvement districts; mail ballots

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SB 1460

Introduced by

Senator
Kuby

AN
ACT

amending
sections 48-2384 and 48-2384.01, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to
agricultural improvement districts.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

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

Section 1. Section 48-2384, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
48-2384.

Designation of election precincts and voting places; notice of election;
election officers; polling places

A. The board
,

shall

on or before October
1st
1
of each
year preceding the year of an election, by an order,
shall
establish
a convenient number of election precincts in each division
,

and define the boundaries
thereof
of the
election precincts
.

B. Notwithstanding any other law, in
addition to conducting the election in election precincts as prescribed by this
section, the secretary of the board or the secretary's designee shall mail to
each person in the district who is eligible to vote in the election a notice
that states the date of the election and that the voter will receive a mail-in
ballot. the notice shall be mailed ninety days before the date of
the election. the secretary of the board or the secretary's designee
shall then mail to each person in the district who is eligible to vote in that
election a mail-in ballot, an appropriate affidavit and a postage prepaid
ballot return envelope that is addressed to the secretary of the board, with
instructions for completing and submitting the ballot and for obtaining a
replacement ballot, and shall provide for the issuance of replacement ballots
at convenient locations in the district.� The mail-in ballot shall have
the words "official ballot" prominently printed at the top of the
ballot.

B.
C.
Fifteen
days before an election held under this article, the secretary of the board
shall cause a notice to be posted in a public place in each election precinct
of the time and place of holding the election, and shall post a similar notice
thereof in a conspicuous place at the office of the board, specifying the
polling places of each precinct and the names of the members of the board of
election for each precinct. Notice of the election shall also be given by
publication in a newspaper published in the county in which the office of the
board of directors of the district is located, once a week for at least two
successive weeks.� The notice shall specify the time of the holding of the
election, the boundaries of the precincts
,
and the
location of the polling places.

C.
D.

Prior to
Before
the time for posting the
notices
,
the board shall appoint for each precinct from
the electors
thereof
of the precinct

one inspector, one judge and one clerk, who shall constitute a board of
election for the precinct. If the board fails to appoint a board of
election, or if the persons appointed, or any of them, do not attend at the
opening of the polls on the morning of the election, the electors of the
precinct present at that hour may appoint the election board or fill the places
of the absent members
thereof
of the
election board
.

D.
E.
The
board of directors
,

shall
in its
order appointing the board of election
, shall
designate
the place in each precinct where the election shall be held.
END_STATUTE

Sec. 2. Section 48-2384.01, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
48-2384.01.

Alternative election process

Notwithstanding any other law, as an alternative to the
election process prescribed in section 48-2384, the board may choose to conduct
voting in any election exclusively under the following alternative election
process:

1. Beginning ninety days next preceding the Saturday
before any election, the secretary of the board shall cause notice of the
election to be given by publication in a newspaper published in the county in
which the office of the board of directors of the district is located, once a
week for at least two successive weeks.� The notice shall provide that the
election shall be conducted by the alternative election process and shall
describe the procedures for obtaining and submitting a ballot
as
PRESCRIBED by this section
and the applicable times and
dates. In addition, the notice shall be posted in one public place
in each division and in a conspicuous place at the office of the board.

2. ninety days before the date of the
election, the secretary of the board or the secretary's designee shall mail to
each eligible voter in the district a notice that states the date of the
election and that the voter will receive a mail-in ballot and shall then
mail to each person in the district who is eligible to vote in the election a
mail-in ballot, an appropriate affidavit and a postage prepaid ballot return
envelope that is addressed to the secretary of the board, with instructions for
completing and submitting the ballot

and
for obtaining a replacement ballot. The mail-in ballot shall
have the words "official ballot" prominently printed at the top of
the ballot.

2.
3.
Ballots
, INCLUDING REPLACEMENT BALLOTS,
may be requested in person at
the office of the secretary of the board, or may be requested by mail,
telephone, the internet or other electronic means consistent with procedures to
be established by the secretary. Ballots may also be requested and
voted at an on-site early voting location, which shall remain open until 7:00
p.m. on the day of the election.� The process and time frames for requesting
and voting ballots shall generally comply with the process established for
early voting by section 16-542, to the extent not inconsistent with this
article.

3.
4.
Ballots
may be returned by mail and must be received by the secretary of the board
no
not
later than 7:00 p.m. on the day of
the election.

4.
5.
Ballots may also be returned in
person at the office of the secretary of the board and at other locations as
may be established at the discretion of the board
no
not
later than 7:00 p.m. on the day of the election.

5.
6.
For

the
purposes of elections conducted pursuant to this
section, there shall be a single board of election consisting of one inspector,
one judge and one clerk, all of whom are appointed by the board of directors.

6.
7.
Elections
conducted pursuant to this section are exempt from title 16, chapter 4, article
8.1.
END_STATUTE