SB 1003 — elections; canvass; certification; acknowledgment

BillSenate Number:Engrossed elections;

S.B.canvass;

1003certification; Kavanagh Floor Amendment Reference to:

printedacknowledgment billState Amendmentof draftedArizona by:Senate Fifty-seventh Legislature Second Regular Session SENATE BILL 1003 AN ACT AMENDING SECTIONS 16-642, 16-645 AND 16-646, ARIZONA REVISED STATUTES;

Leg.RELATING TO CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS.

Council(TEXT FLOOROF AMENDMENTBILL EXPLANATIONBEGINS 1.ON NEXT PAGE) - i - S.B.

Requires1003 theBe officerit whoenacted conductsby an election and the officerLegislature who tabulated the ballots for the election to certify, under oath to the governing body, the accuracy of the electionState and the results of theArizona: tabulation.

2.

Requires the acknowledgement of the canvass of the election without prejudice to be postponed from day to day until all returns are received from the officers who conducted and certified the results of the election, or until six postponements have been made.

3.

Adds a copy of the sworn statements of the election officers who conducted the election and tabulated the ballots to the list of information shown in the official canvass.

Amendment explanation prepared by Kaytie Sherman 02/20/2026 Fifty-seventh Legislature Kavanagh Second Regular Session S.B.

1003 KAVANAGH FLOOR AMENDMENT SENATE AMENDMENTS TO S.B.

1003 (Reference to printed bill) Amendment instruction key:

[GREEN UNDERLINING IN BRACKETS] indicates text added to statute or previously enacted session law.

[Green underlining in brackets] indicates text added to new session law or text restoring existing law.

[GREEN STRIKEOUT IN BRACKETS] indicates new text removed from statute or previously enacted session law.

[Green strikeout in brackets] indicates text removed from existing statute, previously enacted session law or new session law.

<<Green carets>> indicate a section added to the bill.

<<Green strikeout in carets>> indicates a section removed from the bill.

The bill as proposed to be amended is reprinted as follows:

[THETHE COUNTY OFFICER WHO CONDUCTED THE ELECTION SHALL CERTIFY ITS ACCURACY UNDER OATH AND THE COUNTY OFFICER WHO TABULATED THE BALLOTS SHALL CERTIFY THE RESULTS OF THE TABULATION UNDER OATH TO]TO the governing board of a countycounty, [,WHICH WHICH] shall meet and ACKNOWLEDGE WITHOUT PREJUDICE THE canvass OF THE ELECTION as follows:

[THETHE OFFICER WHO CONDUCTED THE ELECTION SHALL CERTIFY ITS ACCURACY UNDER OATH AND THE OFFICER WHO TABULATED THE BALLOTS SHALL CERTIFY THE RESULTS OF THE TABULATION UNDER OATH TO]TO the governing body of a city, town or special districtdistrict, [,WHICH WHICH] shall meet and ACKNOWLEDGE WITHOUT PREJUDICE THE canvass OF the election not less than six days and not more than twenty days following the election.

[THETHE OFFICER WHO CONDUCTED THE ELECTION SHALL CERTIFY ITS ACCURACY UNDER OATH AND THE OFFICER WHO TABULATED THE BALLOTS SHALL SenateCERTIFY AmendmentsTHE RESULTS OF THE TABULATION UNDER OATH TO the governing body of a special district as defined in title 48, WHICH shall present to S.B.the board of supervisors a certified copy AND AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT WITHOUT PREJUDICE of the official canvass of the election at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the board of supervisors.

1003 CERTIFY THE RESULTS OF THE TABULATION UNDER OATH TO] the governing body of a special district as defined in title 48 [, WHICH] shall present to the board of supervisors a certified copy AND AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT WITHOUT PREJUDICE of the official canvass of the election at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the board of supervisors.

If, at the time of the meeting of the governing body, the returns from any polling place in the election district where the polls were opened and an election held are found to be missing, the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT WITHOUT PREJUDICE OF THE canvass OF THE ELECTION shall be postponed from day to day until all the returns are received [FROMFROM THE OFFICER WHO CONDUCTED THE ELECTION AND CERTIFIES ITS ACCURACY UNDER OATH AND THE OFFICER WHO TABULATED THE BALLOTS AND CERTIFIES THE RESULTS OF THE TABULATION UNDER OATH,]OATH, or until six postponements have been had.

The THIS subsection does not apply to the county board of supervisors' ACKNOWLEDGEMENT- WITHOUT1 PREJUDICE- OFS.B. THE canvass of the primary and general election.

<<Sec.1003 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT WITHOUT PREJUDICE OF THE canvass of the primary and general election.

Sec.

When the board of supervisors, or the governing body of a city or town, [HASHAS RECEIVED THE SWORN STATEMENTS OF THE OFFICER WHO CONDUCTED THE ELECTION AND THE OFFICER WHO TABULATED THE BALLOTS AS PRESCRIBED BY SECTION 16-642 AND]AND has completed its canvass of precinct returns, the person having the largest number of votes, or if more than one candidate is necessary, those candidates to the required number who have received the largest number of votes for the nomination for an office in the political party of which the person was set forth on the ballot as a candidate for the nomination, shall be declared the nominee of the party for that office and shall be given a certificate of nomination for that office by the board or governing body, which shall entitle the person to have the person's name placed on the official ballot at the ensuing election as the nominee of the party for the office.

For any partisan primary election, the governing body or officer in charge of elections shall -2-prepare Senateand Amendmentstransmit to S.B.the secretary of state along with the official canvass the total by party of partisan ballots selected in that primary election by voters who registered as no party preference, as independents or as members of a political party that is not qualified for representation on the ballot.

1003 prepare and transmit to the secretary of state along with the official canvass the total by party of partisan ballots selected in that primary election by voters who registered as no party preference, as independents or as members of a political party that is not qualified for representation on the ballot.

Except as provided in subsection C of this section, a letter declaring nomination shall not be issued to a write-in candidate of a party that has not qualified for continued representation on the official ballot pursuant to section 16-804 unless the candidate receives a plurality- of2 the- votesS.B. of the party for the office for which the candidate is a candidate.

1003 plurality of the votes of the party for the office for which the candidate is a candidate.

A certificate of election shall not be issued to presidential electors who are pledged to a write-in candidate for president unless that candidate received the highest number of votes cast for the office of president.>>president. Sec.

Sec.

When the result of the canvass is determined AND ACKNOWLEDGED WITHOUT PREJUDICE AS PRESCRIBED BY SECTION 16-642, a statement[,]statement, known and designated as the official canvass, shall be entered on the official record of the election district that[:]that: shall show [1.] SHOWS:

[1.]shall [(a)]show The1. number of ballots cast in each precinct and in the county.

[2.]SHOWS: [(b)] The number of ballots rejected in each precinct and in the county.

[3.]1. [(c)] The titles of the offices voted for and the names of the persons, together with the party designation, if any, of each person voted for to fill the offices.