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Bill

SB 1280

cast vote record; public record

57th Legislature - First Regular Session Introduced by Mark Finchem and 1 co-sponsor

Arizona bill to make individual cast vote records public for election transparency; passed legislature but vetoed by Governor over voter privacy concerns.

Vetoed by Governor
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · SB 1280

Legislative bill overview

SB 1280 would require cast vote records (CVRs)—the individual records of how each ballot was marked—to be made public records in Arizona. Currently, these records are typically kept confidential to protect voter privacy. The bill passed the legislature but was vetoed by the Governor on May 2, 2025.

Why is this important

Cast vote records are central to election auditing and verification, as they allow independent review of how machines counted ballots. Proponents argue public CVRs enable election transparency and allow citizens to verify election integrity. Critics contend that releasing CVRs could enable ballot tracing to identify individual voters, compromising the secret ballot principle that underpins democratic elections.

Potential points of contention

  • Voter privacy vs. transparency trade-off: CVRs contain sensitive data about individual voting patterns; releasing them raises serious concerns about voter intimidation, coercion, or discrimination based on voting choices
  • Election security implications: Public CVR data could theoretically be used to reverse-engineer voting machine vulnerabilities or enable targeted interference
  • Audit methodology debate: Election security experts disagree on whether public CVRs are necessary for effective auditing versus secure, professional audit processes

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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