Some Republican state lawmakers are pushing a bill to make Arizona's Permanent Early Voting List not so permanent.

Senate Bill 1188 would purge voters from the mail-in ballot list if they don't vote in either the primary or general election for two consecutive election cycles for federal, statewide or legislative office.

Sponsor Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, R-Scottsdale, said her bill would ensure Arizona's early voter data is up-to-date and accurate, saying it makes "good management sense."

“These are individuals that obviously are not choosing to vote early," she told fellow lawmakers. “This is frankly a sacred document. And we want to make sure that we’re sending them to individuals who are utilizing the system."

The Arizona Secretary of State's Office estimates that about 200,000 voters would be removed from the list if the law had been in effect for the 2016 and 2018 elections.

'Permanent should mean something'

Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat and Arizona's top elections official, opposes the measure. Her lobbyist said it “undermines the efficiency and spirit” of the early-voting list.

The bill cleared another hurdle Tuesday, passing out of the House Elections Committee on a 6-4, party-line vote. It now faces a vote in the full House, its last step before Gov. Doug Ducey's desk, unless the bill is amended.

SB 1188 also is opposed by progressive and voter-advocacy groups, who fear it would suppress voter turnout among young people and people of color.

"First of all, we think the word 'permanent' should mean something," said Sandy Bahr, director of the Sierra Club's Grand Canyon Chapter. "Purging people from something called a Permanent Early Voting List, I have to say, it's really unconscionable."

Voters on the list automatically receive a ballot in their mailbox about 27 days before an election. Roughly 75 percent of Arizona voters typically cast their ballot via mail.

Currently, voters on the list receive a mail-in ballot indefinitely. Election officials remove voters when they die or put them on the "inactive" list if they move and don't update their address.

It's unclear if the law would apply retroactively to voters who already skipped returning a mail-in ballot for a recent election.

Ugenti-Rita said that isn't her intent. But opponents argue the wording could have that effect.

Some counties have given different estimates of how many people would be purged based on their interpretation of the bill, and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle said the bill needs clarification.

SB 1188 has similarities to voter purge laws in states like Georgia and Ohio, where voters are removed if they don’t participate in elections, a practice the U.S. Supreme Court upheld last year.

But unlike those laws, SB 1188 would only strike apathetic voters from the list to receive a mail-in ballot — they wouldn't lose their registration.

'What is the goal' of the bill?

Democrats on the committee testified that the measure would suppress turnout on the heels of the 2018 election, when the state saw record voter participation.

"What is the goal we are trying to serve?" asked Rep. Diego Rodriguez, D-Phoenix. "If this is not an issue of voter suppression, then please go back and fix this bill because the effect of it makes it look that way."

Opponents also argue the bill would unfairly penalize independent voters who don't participate in party primaries as well as those who receive an early ballot but choose to vote in-person at the polls.

SB 1188 states that county recorders may send voters a written warning before they're purged from the list, allowing them to request to remain on it.

The bill previously passed the state Senate on a razor-thin 16-14 vote. One moderate Republican, Sen. Heather Carter, of Cave Creek, joined Democrats in opposing the measure.

Only so much 'hand holding' needed

Ugenti-Rita grew frustrated during Tuesday's hearing as Democrats questioned how the list could be called "permanent" if voters are purged for not returning their ballots.

"You have to vote early if you want to be permanent," she said.

Rep. Bob Thorpe, R-Flagstaff, voted in favor of the bill. He estimated it could save taxpayers more than $500,000 per election given what counties spend mailing early ballots to people who don't use them.

"There's only so much hand-holding government needs to do," Thorpe said.

Reach the reporter at dustin.gardiner@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-2471. Follow him on Twitter: @dustingardiner.

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