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AZ SB1193

Bill

Status

Introduced

1/23/2025

Primary Sponsor

Analise Ortiz

Click for details

Origin

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature - First Regular Session (2025)

AI Summary

  • Creates Arizona State Voting Rights Act establishing voting and representation rights for all citizens regardless of race, income, gender, disability, national origin, language ability, age, sexual orientation, or religion.

  • Requires covered political subdivisions (determined by secretary of state based on census data showing 2% or more of voting-age citizens in a language minority group speaking English "less than very well") to provide voting materials and ballots in minority languages with equal quality to English materials.

  • Mandates at least one fluent election official for each language minority at every polling place in covered political subdivisions, with violations subject to penalties of $5,000 per affected voter up to $250,000.

  • Establishes that changes to election laws, polling locations, or voting access within 90 days before elections are presumed to violate voting rights unless justified by emergency or unforeseen circumstances, with presumption rebuttable only through appellate court order.

  • Allows members of protected classes, organizations, or the attorney general to bring civil actions for enforcement with prevailing plaintiffs entitled to recover reasonable attorney fees, litigation expenses, and expert witness fees; authorizes courts to fashion remedies including additional voting hours, polling locations, voter registration opportunities, and ballot drop boxes.

Legislative Description

State voting rights act

Elections And Electors

Last Action

Senate read second time

1/27/2025

Committee Referrals

Rules1/23/2025
Judiciary and Elections1/23/2025

Full Bill Text

No bill text available