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FACT BRIEF

Do ballot drop boxes have to be monitored under Arizona law?

By Austin Tannenbaum
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NO

The State of Arizona's current Election Procedures Manual does not mandate the monitoring of ballot drop-off boxes. However, counties are required to take measures to "ensure the security" of unmonitored boxes.

Drop boxes must be located in a secure location approved by the Board of Supervisors. "Unstaffed" boxes must be securely fastened "to prevent moving or tampering."

Additionally, "All drop-boxes (both staffed and unstaffed) shall have an opening slot that is not large enough to allow deposited ballots to be removed through the opening slot."

After the polls close, all boxes are required to be locked so no further ballots can be dropped off.

For elections with a partisan race, ballots must be picked up by at least two ballot retrievers belonging to different political parties.

County elections officials are permitted to establish additional procedures, such as "restricting activities that interfere with the ability of voters and/or staff to access the ballot drop-off location free from obstruction or harassment."

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
State of Arizona 2021 Election Procedures Manual
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Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is the state’s only independent, nonpartisan and collaborative nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide, data-driven investigative reporting. AZCIR's mission is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable by exposing injustice and systemic inequities through investigative journalism.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.