HB2612

THE CONTEXT: Laws 2016, Chapter 5 establishes the crime of knowingly collecting voted or unvoted early ballots and classifies this offense as a class 6 felony. For first time felony offenders, the presumptive sentence for this crime is one year of incarceration.

WHAT THE BILL DID: The final vetoed version would specifies a person convicted of ballot abuse, including knowingly collecting early ballots, is ineligible to hold an elected public office in Arizona and require any person holding an elected public office, who has been convicted of a ballot abuse offense, to resign from office.

WHY IT MATTERED: The practical reason for this bill was to make election administration and accountability rules for ballot collection conviction more definite. It would specifies a person convicted of ballot abuse, including knowingly collecting early ballots, is ineligible to hold an elected public office in Arizona, and would also require any person holding an elected public office, who has been convicted of a ballot abuse offense, to resign from office, rather than leave the current rule unchanged.