STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX – The Arizona House of Representatives today passed House Bill 2022, bipartisan election integrity legislation sponsored by State Representative Alexander Kolodin that ensures Arizona elections comply with federal law while protecting the voting rights of overseas military members and increasing transparency across the voting process.

HB 2022 makes permanent the election calendar and procedures successfully used in the 2024 cycle. The bill moves the primary election to the second-to-last Tuesday in July, aligning Arizona’s timeline with federal requirements adopted by Congress and preventing overseas service members from being shut out of the ballot.

The legislation also updates ballot signature curing deadlines for federal elections, expands the locations where authorized party representatives may observe and challenge voting activity, and preserves the validity of nomination papers, initiative petitions, and election filings that list the former August primary date. The bill includes an emergency clause to ensure these provisions are in place for the 2026 election cycle.

“This bill exists for one reason: to make sure Arizona voters, especially our men and women serving overseas in uniform, are not disenfranchised because Congress changed the rules and failed to check the calendar,” Representative Kolodin said. “HB 2022 locks in the fix that worked in 2024. Military ballots went out on time and our men and women serving in uniform were able to exercise their right to vote as citizens of the United States. There is no excuse to walk away from something we know works.”

The measure also improves voter access while preserving election integrity by  ending the pattern and practice of denying Arizonans the most fundamental form of election security by clarifying that political parties are permitted to send observers to each and every type of voting location – ensuring that partisan elections officials will never be left alone with a poll book, ballot printer, and ballot box as has sadly been the case in recent history in some parts of our state.

The passage of HB 2022 advances the House Republican Majority Plan by protecting individual rights and liberties and securing elections through clear rules, accountability, and transparency. House Republicans continue to prioritize election laws that are fair, enforceable, and worthy of voter trust.

HB 2022 now advances to the Senate for consideration.

Alexander Kolodin is an attorney and Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives serving Legislative District 3, which includes North Scottsdale, Fountain Hills, and Rio Verde in Maricopa County. Follow him on X at @realAlexKolodin.