Governor Announces More than $2 Million in Funding for Elections and Three Election-Related Executive Orders as the Bipartisan Elections Task Force Releases Final Report

Phoenix, AZ – Governor Katie Hobbs is taking several steps to improve Arizona’s elections going into the 2024 election year, announcing $2.3 million in American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funding to support free, fair and secure elections. Additionally, Governor Hobbs issued three executive orders to authorize paid civic duty leave for state employees to serve as poll workers, make state buildings available as polling locations, and require state agencies to provide voter registration information and assistance to the Arizona citizens they serve.

“As Secretary of State I oversaw the most secure elections in Arizona history, but I know we must continue to improve Arizona’s elections ahead of 2024,” said Governor Katie Hobbs. “Election officials and voters are facing new challenges when it comes to administering elections and participating in our democracy. I am thrilled to immediately address some of the problems identified by the Bipartisan Elections Task Force to ensure Arizona voters can make their voices heard.”

Governor Hobbs established the Task Force in January with Executive Order 2023-03 and co-chaired the group alongside former Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell. The final report compiles sixteen policy recommendations developed by a bipartisan group of Arizona election administration and security experts, voting rights advocates, legislators, and current and former election officials. The recommendations focus on:

• Election Administration: poll worker communication platform; incentives to improve poll worker recruitment; annual election officer certification trainings; election fellowship program; comprehensive website for voter information
• Voter Registration: requiring provisional ballot forms to serve as voter registration forms; improving cross-county voter registration; voting rights restoration; funding for the statewide voter registration database, the Access Voter Information Database (AVID) 
• Early Voting: disability resource liaison; changing emergency voting to final weekend voting; preventing ballot return interference
• Election Day and After: ensuring timely recounts; reconciliation best practices guidelines
• Election Equipment and Security: election security advancements; election worker code of conduct

“This Task Force is made up of talented, bipartisan experts who have diverse on-the-ground experience with Arizona’s elections,” said Task Force Co-Chair and former Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell. “It was rewarding to see them come together week after week to brainstorm where additional support is needed, collaborate on potential solutions, and develop the proposals in the final report. Thank you to Governor Hobbs for bringing us together with a unified goal and for her unwavering commitment to protecting democracy in our State.”

“I’d like to thank Governor Hobbs, Recorder Purcell, and the entire Task Force for prioritizing safe, secure, and accurate elections. I must also mention all our staff for being generous with their expertise and insight,” said Secretary of State Adrian Fontes. “The work of the Task Force, the Governor’s Executive Orders and the much-needed $2 million in election support will be critical in building towards smooth and successful elections in 2024.

The $2.3 million in ARPA funds will support a variety of election-related measures critical to free, fair, and secure elections in 2024, including $1M for a statewide elections fellowship program as well as temporary staffing support and expert consultants for counties, particularly those that have lost institutional knowledge and expertise due to staff turnover. The funds will also provide critical $700k needed to maintain AVID, the statewide voter registration database, and $600k for other 2024 election administration initiatives, including county-level election security, election security tabletop exercises for state and county officials, ballot reconciliation best practices, resources for county officials to better support voters with disabilities, and poll worker recruitment and emergency poll worker deployment efforts. 

Read the full Bipartisan Elections Task Force Final Report here.
Read Executive Order 2023-24 on paid civic duty leave here; Executive Order 2023-23 on state buildings as voting locations here; and Executive Order 2023-25 on state agencies' role in voter registration efforts here.