A bill in the Arizona Legislature would negatively impact nonprofit groups and volunteers who register people to vote. By law, 501(C)(3) organizations are permitted to engage in nonpartisan efforts to register voters and encourage citizens to vote. However, this bill would have a chilling effect on volunteers who register people to vote.

SB1629 registration; verification; images; audits; boxes (Borrelli: Barto, Fann, Gowan, et. al), creates unnecessary, difficult hurdles for nonprofits and volunteers who register citizens to vote. The bill requires any volunteer who collects more than 25 completed voter registration forms within a calendar year to register with the Secretary of State before collecting voter registration forms. The bill also includes numerous other burdensome provisions including requiring volunteers to submit a notarized registration application to the Secretary of State before registering voters. The registration application must include the volunteer’s full name, residence address, phone number, and email address. It also must state the name, address, and phone number of any organization for which the person is volunteering.

Worse yet, SB1629 requires the Secretary of State to publish all information required for registration on its public website. This requirement significantly jeopardizes the privacy of volunteers who help people register to vote. Under this bill, volunteers would be forced to have their personal information displayed on a public government website. This provision alone would have a chilling effect on volunteers who exercise their democratic right to register voters. Read the letter that HVA, Animal Defense League of Arizona, and other nonprofit groups sent to senators here.

SB1629 failed to pass the Senate 13-15-2 but will be brought back for a revote at any time. Please ask your state senator to oppose SB1629, which creates unnecessary, difficult hurdles for nonprofits and volunteers who register citizens to vote.  Be sure to mention that you are a resident of their district. You can find contact information for senators here. Please send your questions or any response you receive from your senator to legislative@adlaz.org.