Skip to content

Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022

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


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

About fact briefs

Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.

See all fact briefs

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.

Learn More

Be a Friend of facts

Help us fund more great fact briefs like this one.