Arizona House Approves New Requirements For Emergency Early Voting

By Claire Caulfield
Published: Tuesday, April 9, 2019 - 10:11am

The Arizona House of Representatives passed a bill Monday that would require anyone voting at an emergency voting center to sign an affidavit.

Before casting a ballot, the voter would have to describe their emergency and how they would have been unable to vote without that vote center in a legally-binding document.

Rep. Kirsten Engel, D-Tucson, opposed the bill because she thinks it’s meant to intimidate voters from using these centers.

“They’re not gonna want to sign a statement describing their emergency especially if it involves a health condition or something they’re embarrassed about,” she said.

Arizona allows anyone to vote early up to 5 p.m. on the Friday before the election. After that, they must have an “unforeseen circumstance” that prevents them from casting a ballot on election day.

Republicans say this bill would insure everyone is following the law.

The measure, SB 1090, now returns to the state Senate for a vote.

Politics