Arizona GOP Pre-Files 2026 Ballot Amendment Requiring Voter ID and Proof of Citizenship

Arizona Republicans are once again pushing sweeping election-security reforms—this time by taking the debate straight to voters. State Senator Shawnna Bolick (R-LD02) has pre-filed Senate Concurrent Resolution 1001, a constitutional-amendment resolution supporters have dubbed the Arizona Secure Elections Act. 

The measure would require state-approved photo ID at polling places, mandate proof of U.S. citizenship to participate in mail-in voting, end early voting at 7 p.m. on the Friday before Election Day, and bar foreign individuals or corporations from donating to Arizona candidates or ballot-measure campaigns.

The resolution proposes amending Article VII of the Arizona Constitution to make voter identification a constitutional mandate rather than a statutory requirement. Under the amendment, mail ballots would be restricted to voters who submit citizenship documentation before receiving or returning a ballot. The measure also includes a severability clause, preserving the rest of the amendment if any individual provision is later struck down in court.

Bolick and her Republican colleagues hope the ballot route will succeed where previous legislative efforts faltered. Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed similar reforms in prior sessions, including House Bill 2703 and Senate Bill 1374—measures that lawmakers were unable to override due to insufficient votes within the Republican caucus. Those bills died despite the GOP holding majorities in both legislative chambers, exposing cracks in party unity on election law.

🚨FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Senator @ShawnnaLMBolick Files Major Election-Integrity Ballot Referral to Strengthen Trust in Arizona's Elections

Full Press Release: https://t.co/ArRAHe0nsc pic.twitter.com/hLyGQH21Da

— AZSenateRepublicans (@AZSenateGOP) November 17, 2025

Arizona’s electorate last weighed in on the issue in 2022, rejecting Proposition 309 by fewer than 19,000 votes. To many in the GOP, that razor-thin margin fueled continued claims that voter-ID policies remain popular among the state’s conservative base, even when statewide results have been mixed. Bolick argues that frustration with Hobbs’ unwillingness to work with Republicans on election safeguards has left the ballot as the most direct path forward. “If voters decide that they’re not gonna pass it, then that’s on them,” she said, adding that the voters—not the governor or the courts—should have the final say according to The Center Square.

“SCR 1001 will put voters – not bureaucrats, not activists, and not foreign interests – back in charge of how our elections are run. When we raise the standards, we protect the integrity of every lawful vote,” she said in a Senate press release.

“Election integrity is paramount to maintain our Republic,” Senator Bolick said. “For years, voters have asked for reforms that protect their voice and restore confidence in the system. It’s time we give them the chance to secure those protections permanently.”

A companion resolution, House Concurrent Resolution 2001, has been sponsored by Republican Rep. Alex Kolodin. The resolution mirrors Bolick’s ballot strategy and, if passed by both chambers, would appear on the November 3, 2026, General Election Ballot without requiring the governor’s signature.

Arizona Democrats counter that the proposals amount to voter-suppression measures. Civil-rights organization Mi Familia Vota previously challenged Arizona’s voter-registration laws in federal court in 2022, forcing the issue to the U.S. Supreme Court through an appeal by Senate President Warren Petersen, who argued the challenge threatened Arizona’s ability to administer accurate elections. Bolick expects similar legal challenges if SCR 1001 advances. 

Recent polling suggests the issue has not cooled. The Arizona results from the Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll found support among respondents for stricter voter-verification policies and efforts to limit foreign campaign contributions. Republican leaders see the resolution as part of a broader national push for tighter election rules, and a test of whether voters will codify those policies into Arizona’s foundational law.

With the Legislature set to convene in January 2026, the GOP appears poised for another high-stakes fight over election policy—with the amendment marking their most ambitious attempt yet to hardwire voter identity and citizenship requirements into Arizona’s constitutional framework.