Grand Canyon Times

On Friday (May 27), Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey vetoed an election security bill, making it his first vetoed bill of 2022. Gina Swoboda, executive director of Voter Reference Foundation, said this veto is unfortunate but is hopeful the bill will be signed once it is rewritten.

According to the Daily Independent, H.B. 2617 would have given county election officials the power to remove voters from voter rolls if they have a reason to believe they are not qualified to vote.

Ducey's veto is backed by the idea that although Arizona is a "national leader in election integrity," H.B. 2617 does not include the "necessary safeguards" that ensure the protection of "the vote of any Arizonan who is eligible and lawfully registered," as is stated in his veto letter. The governor also believes the legislation is too vague and lacks specific guidance as to how a county recorder would determine whether an individual is or is not a qualified voter. 

“Our lawfully registered voters deserve to know that their right to vote will not be disturbed without sufficient due process,” the governor stated in his letter. “This provision leaves our election system vulnerable to bad actors who could seek to falsely allege a voter is not a qualified elector.”

Swoboda said it's unfortunate H.B. 2617 was vetoed.

"We are hopeful the bill can be rewritten and signed this session. Voter list maintenance is an essential part of election integrity," Swoboda said.

H.B. 2617 was sponsored by Joseph Chaplik, a Republican state representative from Scottsdale. 

He called it “a simple, common-sense election integrity bill to help clean up the voter-roll maintenance,” according to the Daily Independent. In a written statement, Chaplik called the veto “shocking,” as he admitted to working "directly with the governor's office on the Senate amendment language for the bill."