Secretary of State’s Office submits draft Elections Procedures Manual to the attorney general and governor

PHOENIX – After nearly nine months of collaboration with election stakeholders, the Secretary of State’s Office submitted a draft of the Elections Procedures Manual to the governor and attorney general today.

The Arizona Elections Procedures Manual helps ensure election practices are consistent and efficient throughout the state. A new law requires the Secretary of State to send a draft of the manual to the governor and attorney general for review by October 1 of every odd-numbered year.

The governor and attorney general have not approved an Elections Procedures Manual since 2014. When Secretary of State Katie Hobbs came into office in January, updating the manual with input and expertise from election officials was among her top priorities.

“Local election officials work directly with their communities, which is why it was crucial to have their input from the start, and through every step of the way,” Secretary Katie Hobbs said. “We went into this process understanding that it’s the counties who would lead this conversation.”

Lisa M. Marra, the Cochise County elections director and president of the Elections Officials of Arizona, said the collaboration took dedication and was productive.

“Arizona voters from every county were well-represented across the state by their county election officials, and we should all be happy with the partnerships and dialogue we had as a group over many months to produce this Elections Procedures Manual,” Marra said. “Lots of good, passionate conversations about federal and state law, process and procedure – and how we must continue to work and learn together to ensure secure, safe and efficient elections in every jurisdiction for our residents.”

Arizona Elections Director Sambo ‘Bo’ Dul spearheaded the project, which included a public comment period. The office collected nearly 500 individually written comments from over 70 people and organizations across the state.

“The feedback we received from our county partners and statewide stakeholders was extremely helpful, and we were able to incorporate a lot of it in the revised draft,” Dul said. “Conducting elections in Arizona takes a partnership between officials and the voters. The level of engagement we experienced was very encouraging.”

The governor and attorney general have until Dec. 31, 2019 to review and approve the draft before it goes into effect and has the force of law. To view the manual drafts, summary of updates and public comments, go to www.AZSOS.gov.

-30-