Hobbs Rejects Election Integrity Package, Sides with Secrecy Over Transparency

ARIZONA, June 23 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 23, 2026

PHOENIX, ARIZONA—Governor Katie Hobbs is keeping Arizona voters in the dark by vetoing a package of election integrity reforms that would have increased transparency, strengthened ballot security, improved accountability, and given the public greater ability to verify election results.

The vetoes continue a troubling pattern. Whenever lawmakers propose reforms that provide additional safeguards or greater public access to election information, Governor Hobbs dismisses them as unnecessary. Yet many Arizona voters continue demanding more transparency, stronger oversight, and greater accountability from those entrusted with administering elections.

SB 1037 would have strengthened security requirements for election equipment by ensuring voting systems remain disconnected from the internet, establishing stricter chain-of-custody protections for ballots and equipment, and increasing transparency at counting centers, making the machines compliant with federal cybersecurity requirements under NDAA Sec. 6805.

SB 1038 would have made cast vote records publicly available while protecting voter anonymity, allowing independent verification that ballots were counted accurately and election results were reported correctly.

SB 1040 would have increased transparency by making voter registration rolls available through a public read-only online portal while maintaining protections for confidential voter information.

SB 1057 would have required election ballot vendors to use modern anti-counterfeiting protections such as security paper, holograms, forensic inks, and other fraud prevention technologies commonly used to protect sensitive documents from duplication or alteration.

SB 1060 would have clarified voter registration standards for individuals temporarily absent from Arizona while maintaining protections for military members and overseas voters.

SB 1429 would have increased transparency surrounding local ballot measures by requiring disclosure of out-of-state circulators and financial impacts when initiatives create new taxpayer-funded spending obligations.

"Governor Hobbs just vetoed six different bills that would have given Arizonans more tools to verify their elections," said Senator Wendy Rogers, Chair of the Senate Judiciary and Elections Committee. "She blocked public cast vote records, stronger anti-fraud features on ballots, tighter security on voting equipment, and more transparency on voter rolls and ballot measures. If everything is already so secure and trustworthy, why is she fighting so hard to keep voters from seeing more of it? These bills weren't radical, they were basic safeguards. The Governor keeps telling people to just trust the system while she works to keep it in the dark."

"When questions about election results come up, and they always do, election officials and poll workers need real tools to show their work and defend the outcome," said Senator Mark Finchem. "These vetoes strip away the very things that would help good people running elections prove the system is working. Public cast vote records, stronger ballot security, and clearer chain-of-custody rules aren't about attacking anyone. They're about giving the people who administer elections the ability to back up their results with evidence instead of just statements. Blocking these reforms year after year doesn't build trust, it makes the job of defending Arizona's elections harder."

The Governor justified her vetoes by claiming the measures were unnecessary, burdensome, or created privacy concerns. However, the bills focused on increasing transparency, improving verification, and strengthening safeguards without preventing any eligible voter from casting a ballot. Governor Hobbs argues voters should trust the system. Arizona Senate Republicans believe voters should be able to verify it. By vetoing this package of reforms, the Governor rejected measures designed to provide greater transparency, stronger safeguards, and more public accountability in Arizona elections.

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For more information, contact:

Kim Quintero

Director of Communications | Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus

kquintero@azleg.gov

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