AZ FAMILY: Gov. Hobbs vetoes Arizona GOP’s bill to speed up election results

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has vetoed an election reform bill aimed to speed up results on Election Day, saying the proposal would disenfranchise eligible voters.

“This legislation effectively ends the Active Early Voting List, something that has nothing to do with faster election results, but disenfranchises voters by adding additional steps for the hundreds of thousands of Arizona voters who prefer to vote by mail. Making it less convenient to vote is something I have consistently said I cannot support. Arizonans are relying on us to work together and put their rights ahead of any partisan agenda,” Hobbs wrote in her veto letter sent to House Speaker Steve Montenegro.

The proposal would eliminate dropping off early ballots on Election Day, which election officials have blamed for the state’s time-consuming vote count.

“The Governor’s veto is a huge mistake. This was a missed opportunity to increase voter confidence and reduce frustration on election night,” said Senate President Warren Petersen. “Instead of working with Republicans in good-faith to provide much-needed reforms to our election processes, the Governor impeded all efforts to ensure Arizona can report the vast majority of votes on Election Night. This is not what Arizonans want from their state’s leaders. Republicans and Democrats should be able to work together to solve these issues in a bipartisan manner without resorting to political talking points.”

Minutes later, Republicans slammed Hobbs over what they called a “common sense” election bill.

“Governor Katie Hobbs had an opportunity to serve the interests of all Arizonans by signing this vital bill for the future of our elections,” said Republican state party chair Gina Swoboda. “Tragically, Hobbs sided with her radical, left-wing friends to stop a reasonably crafted election bill in its legislative tracks. Arizonans demanded a fix to the myriads of problems facing our state in the lead-up to and through Election Day with our vote tabulation, but the governor has proven herself fundamentally unwilling to participate in what should be a bipartisan solution. When another race in our state is days late in reporting the final vote, we have only one person to blame: Katie Hobbs.”

Arizona typically takes up to two weeks to finish tallying up all the votes following an election.

“If these folks were serious about actually solving this problem, then they would have negotiated with me. Because sending a ballot measure to the ballot in 2026 doesn’t do anything to fix this problem for the 2026 election,” Hobbs said last week, referring to a separate but nearly identical ballot measure currently advancing in the Legislature aimed at bypassing the governor.

Senate Republicans previously held a news conference after passing the bill that was nearly identical to the House measure.

“According to Maricopa County, if this legislation is signed into law, 95% of votes will be reported on election night. We should no longer have to wait weeks to determine winners and losers. The madness needs to stop. This bill will improve voter confidence and end the frustration,” Petersen said last week about the proposal.

Arizona’s Family previously reported that Hobbs had been negotiating with the GOP but was unwilling to make any compromises and needed to be ensured voters wouldn’t be disenfranchised.

“To ensure that voters are not disenfranchised by the change, the bill adds three additional days of early voting: the Saturday, Sunday, and Monday before Election Day, which were previously limited to emergency voting only. The bill also mandates public schools be used as voting locations to expand opportunities to vote and create more convenience for voters,” the Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus said in a news release.

Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap, a fellow Republican, has supported the measure.

“Florida has become a model for fast, accurate elections. As a legislator, I supported or co-sponsored similar legislation, and SB 1011/HB 2703 is a strong step to ensure Arizonans will be able to have the same fast results and confidence in our elections that Florida has,” Heap said. “I applaud all those who voted for this critical bill and encourage Governor Hobbs to reconsider her stated opposition.”