SB1690 visually impaired voters; access procedures

Plain English Breakdown

The official text does not specify an effective date, so it remains unknown when these rules begin.

SB1690: Access Rules for Visually Impaired and Print Disabled Voters

This law allows blind, visually impaired, or print-disabled voters to use a single federal postcard form to request early ballots and receive them by mail, fax, email, or other electronic methods.

What This Bill Does

Allows eligible voters with vision issues or print disabilities to use a single federal postcard form for both voter registration and requesting an early ballot.
Requires the Secretary of State to create a system that accepts these applications via internet or fax.
Lets voters choose how they want to receive their ballots, such as by mail, email, fax, or other electronic means.
Sets deadlines requiring election officials to send out ballots within three days if requests arrive 48 days before an election.
Requires county recorders to provide a free way for voters to check that their voted ballot was received.

Who It Names or Affects

Blind or visually impaired voters in Arizona
Voters with print disabilities
Absent uniformed services and overseas voters (as defined by federal law)
County recorders and election officials

Terms To Know

Early ballot: A voting form sent to a voter before Election Day so they can vote from home or another location.
Federal postcard application: A single federal form that asks for both voter registration and an early ballot at the same time.
Print disability: A condition where a person cannot read standard printed text due to vision loss or other physical limitations.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not state when it will officially take effect.
Specific details on how the electronic ballot system works are left for future instructions from the Secretary of State.
Emergency procedures described in the law only apply during national or local emergencies like natural disasters.

Official Summary Text

SB1690 - visually impaired voters; access procedures

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SB1690 - 572R - I Ver

REFERENCE TITLE:
visually impaired voters; access procedures

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SB 1690

Introduced by

Senators
Kuby: Alston, Bravo, Gabald�n, Gonzales, Hatathlie, Miranda;� Representatives
Garcia, Gutierrez, M�rquez, Sandoval, Stahl Hamilton

AN
ACT

amending
section 16-543, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to early voting.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

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

Section 1. Section 16-543, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
16-543.

Application for ballot; United States service, overseas, blind,
visually impaired and print disability voters; emergency procedures

A. Any absent uniformed services voter or overseas
voter as defined in the uniformed and overseas citizens absentee voting act
of 1986
(P.L. 99-410;
42
52
United States Code section
1973ff-6
20310
), as amended by the Ronald W. Reagan national defense
authorization act for fiscal year 2005 (P.L. 108-375),
any blind
or visually impaired voter or any voter with a print disability
may
request an early ballot with a federal postcard application that contains both
an early voter registration application and an early ballot application. The
secretary of state shall provide for a centralized system for receiving federal
postcard applications by way of the internet or fax and shall provide for
transmitting appropriate ballot materials in response to fax, telephone and
internet requests for federal postcard applications. The absent
uniformed services voter
,

or

overseas voter
, blind or visually impaired voter or voter with a
print disability
shall designate the means of communication for
receiving voting materials, whether by way of the internet, fax transmittal or
other electronic means or by mail, and the county recorder or other officer in
charge of elections shall provide responses and materials in the format
designated by the requesting voter.� On receipt of
such
an
application, the county recorder or other officer in charge
of elections shall determine whether or not the elector is
registered. If the applicant is so registered, the recorder or other
officer in charge of elections shall forward to the applicant an official early
ballot using the means of communication designated by the voter pursuant to
this section.� If no means of communication is designated, the ballot shall be
transmitted as provided in the instructions and procedures manual issued
pursuant to section 16-452. For all requests received from
registered absent uniformed services voters
,

or
overseas voters
, blind or visually impaired
voters or voters with a print disability
on or before the forty-eighth
day before the election, the ballot shall be transmitted
no
not
later than the forty-fifth day before the
election. If the applicant is not registered, and the request is for
a ballot for use in a county election but the federal postcard application is
complete, the recorder shall forward an official early ballot to the applicant
within twenty-four hours after receipt of the request, excluding
Saturdays, Sundays and other legal holidays.� If the applicant is not
registered to vote and the federal postcard application is not used or
complete, the recorder shall forward an affidavit of registration as provided
in section 16-103 and shall forward at the same time to the unregistered
applicant an official early ballot and affidavit within twenty-four hours
after receipt of the request, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and other legal
holidays.� For any voter who is sent an official early ballot by electronic
means pursuant to this section, the county recorder or other officer in charge
of elections is not required to send a paper ballot for the same election.

B. The county recorder or other officer in charge of
elections shall transmit by fax or by other electronic format approved by the
secretary of state early ballot request forms, unvoted ballots and ballot
information to eligible absent uniformed services voters
,

and
overseas voters
, blind or visually
impaired voters or voters with print disabilities
.� The county recorder
or other officer in charge of elections shall provide for receipt of completed
early ballot requests and voted early ballots by fax or other electronic format
as prescribed by the secretary of state in the instructions and procedures
manual issued pursuant to section 16-452. The county recorder
or other officer in charge of elections shall provide for a method for the
voter to verify at no cost to the voter that the voter's ballot has been
received.

C. The secretary of state shall provide in the
instructions and procedures manual issued pursuant to section 16-452 for
emergency procedures regarding the early balloting process for persons who are
subject to the uniformed and overseas citizens absentee voting act
of 1986
(P.L. 99-410;
42
52
United States Code section
1973ff
sections 20301 through 20311
), as amended by the Ronald W.
Reagan national defense authorization act for fiscal year 2005 (P.L. 108-375)
,

and for blind or visually
impaired voters or voters with print DISABILITIES
. These
emergency procedures may be implemented only on the occurrence of a national or
local emergency that makes substantial compliance with the uniformed and
overseas citizens absentee voting act impracticable, including occurrences of
natural disasters or armed conflict or mobilization of the national guard or
military reserve units of this state.

D. This section applies only to any absent uniformed
services voter or overseas voter as defined in the uniformed and overseas
citizens absentee voting act
of 1986
(P.L. 99-410;
42
52
United States Code section
1973ff-6
20310
), as amended by the
Ronald W. Reagan national defense authorization act for fiscal year 2005 (P.L.
108-375)
, any blind or visually impaired voter or any voter with
a print disability
.
END_STATUTE