Arizona lawmakers have banned the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the 2024 election.
The legislation, Senate Concurrent Resolution 1037, prohibits counties from using EVMs that contain electronic components that are manufactured, assembled, or tested in foreign nations that pose a threat to the U.S.
As The Western Journal reported earlier this year, in Maricopa County — where 60 percent of the state’s voters live — Dominion Voting Systems technology is used, while nearly all other counties use Election Systems & Software (ES&S). Both companies’ voting equipment use components that have microchips sourced from China and Taiwan.
“Back in 2017, the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security issued a statement clearly designating elections infrastructure as critical infrastructure, which means these electronic systems must have safeguards in place to prevent any attacks which threaten our national security,” Arizona Senate Majority Leader Sonny Borrelli wrote in a press release.
— Sonny Borrelli (@SonnyBorrelli) May 22, 2023
SCR 1037 was passed by both the state house and senate, but was vetoed by Gov. Katie Hobbs.
However, the U.S. Constitution gives state legislatures plenary authority over elections, which means lawmakers have complete power over elections with no limitations, so the legislature will override Hobbs’ veto.
Citing the governor’s veto, Borrelli said state lawmakers are “exercising our plenary authority to see that no electronic voting systems in the state of Arizona are used as the primary method for conducting, counting, tabulating, or verifying federal elections, unless those systems meet necessary standards of protection.”
Under SCR, Arizona counties may not use electronic voting hardware, software, or components unless three criteria have been met:
1. All components are designed, manufactured, integrated and assembled in the U.S. from trusted suppliers, using processes accredited by the U.S. Defense Department
2. The Source code used in any computerized voting machine is made available to the public
3. The ballot images and system log files from each tabulator are recorded on a drive that can only be written onto once, with a clear chain of custody, and with contents made available on the Secretary of State’s website free of charge within 24 hours after polls close
On Monday, May 22, Borrelli notified all 15 state counties, as well as all relevant committee and departments, that per SCR 1037, no county will be permitted to use electronic voting systems in the upcoming 2024 elections unless they meet the requirements set forth in the new law.
