Senate Republicans Advance Election Integrity Measures to Strengthen Voter Confidence, Election Security
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
PHOENIX, ARIZONA—Senate Republicans are taking action to strengthen election integrity and reinforce voter confidence, passing legislation this month aimed at preventing foreign influence in Arizona elections, strengthening election system security, and improving signature verification safeguards for early voting.
SB 1647, sponsored by Senator Mark Finchem, prohibits foreign corporations, individuals, and nongovernmental entities from contributing money or in-kind resources to influence the outcome of Arizona ballot measure elections. The bill also requires campaign finance filers to certify under penalty of perjury that prohibited foreign contributions were not accepted or used. SCR 1005, also sponsored by Senator Finchem, sends the same prohibition to Arizona voters for approval on the statewide ballot, allowing citizens to decide whether to permanently enshrine protections against foreign-funded ballot measure influence into law.
SB 1654, also sponsored by Senator Finchem, helps strengthen Arizona's election infrastructure by appropriating $100,000 to reimburse counties for implementing end-point monitoring of systems designed to detect signal interception or other attempts to interfere with election equipment. The funding helps counties identify potential threats early and protect the systems Arizonans rely on to conduct secure and reliable elections.
"Arizonans expect their elections to reflect the will of American voters, not foreign money or outside influence," said Senator Mark Finchem. "These measures protect the integrity of our ballot initiatives and ensure decisions affecting Arizona's future are made by our citizens alone."
SB 1634, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader John Kavanagh, requires the Arizona Department of Transportation to provide county recorders with a copy of a voter's handwritten signature collected during driver license transactions. The change helps election officials more easily compare signatures during early ballot verification, improving accuracy and efficiency in the process.
"Signature verification is one of the most important safeguards we have to protect early voting," said Majority Leader Kavanagh. "Providing county recorders with direct access to handwritten signatures strengthens election security while helping officials verify ballots quickly and consistently."
The legislation now advances to the House for further consideration.
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For more information, contact:
Kim Quintero
Director of Communications | Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus