This page provides some additional details on the signature review process for vote-by-mail early ballots in Arizona.
The County Recorder begins by comparing the signature on the ballot affidavit with the signature on the voter’s registration card. 2023 EPM at 83. For further confirmation, the County Recorder also reviews other known signatures of the voter from “official election documents in the voter’s registration record, such as signature rosters, prior early ballot affidavits, and early ballot/[active early voter list] request forms.” 2023 EPM at 83. If the Country Recorder determines the signature is a match, they indicate that on the unopened affidavit envelope. 2023 EPM at 83.
If the County Record cannot confirm that the signature is a match, then they must make “reasonable and meaningful attempts'' to contact the voter. The County Recorder must attempt to notify the voter of the issue, and allow them to either “correct or confirm” the signature. 2023 EPM at 83. Outreach efforts must begin “as soon as practicable using any contact information available in the voter’s record and any other source reasonably available to the County Recorder.” 2023 EPM at 83. In elections including a federal office voters must be given until 5 p.m. on the fifth calendar day (Sunday, November 10, 2024) after the election to cure a signature defect. [1] 2023 EPM at 83. If the ballot does not include a federal office, voters have until 5 p.m. on the third business day after the election to cure the issue with their signature. [2]
Arizona voters have multiple options on how they can return their vote-by-mail ballot, outside of mailing it back through the United States Postal Service. “Arizona’s BbM System.” Voters can personally deliver their VBM ballot at their designated polling place, an official ballot drop-box, their County Recorder’s office, any Election Day voting location in the county, or have a caregiver, family member, or household member return the ballot for them. A.R.S. § 16‑1005; “Voting Location Conduct.”
Arizona voters living in a precinct tabulation county who choose to personally deliver their vote-by-mail ballots to either their designated polling location or a voting center are still required to complete and sign the early ballot affidavit if they wish to have their ballot tabulated at the polling place. 2023 EPM at 193. A signature review, however, is not required if the voter can provide satisfactory identification—just as if they were voting in person.[3] A.R.S. § 16-579(A)(1); 2023 EPM at 19.
After the election official confirms the voter’s identification and that the voter has properly completed the early ballot affidavit, the election official numbers that affidavit to track the order of early vote ballot applications. 2023 EPM at 193. The voter then signs their name in the signature roster or on the e-pollbook. 2023 EPM at 193. The voter removes the early ballot from the completed affidavit envelope. 2023 EPM at 193. The voter then deposits the empty completed affidavit envelope in the drop box and inserts the early ballot into a tabulating machine. *2023 EPM* at 193. Alternatively, voters in precinct tabulation counties still have the option to simply drop their ballot (inside a completed affidavit envelope) into a ballot drop box at the voting location, if they wish. *2023 EPM* at 193.
If the affidavit is not completed, the ballot is treated as if it was mailed into the County Recorder. *2023 EPM* at 193. Additionally, if the individual at the polling place is dropping off someone else’s ballot, that ballot is treated as if it had been mailed in to the County Recorder (or submitted using a ballot drop box) and, therefore, requires signature review. *2023 EPM* at 194.