Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs is poised to veto a contentious Republican-backed bill that aims to expedite ballot counting in the state's elections. Anticipation is high that the veto could occur as early as Monday, after Hobbs' communications director, Christian Slater, informed 12News about the likelihood. The bill is designed to change the deadline for turning in early ballots and could potentially result in 95% of votes being tallied by election night, a significant increase from current numbers, according to proponents.

With a potential veto on the horizon, Arizona Republicans have prepared a backup plan, setting up a ballot referral for 2026 that would present a similar proposal to voters for approval. Set to be debated in the House and Senate starting Monday, the resolution hints at the ongoing struggle between the GOP and Governor Hobbs. The governor, who has made her opposition known through social media and statements to the press, has criticized the bill as disenfranchising to voters. "If these folks were serious about actually solving this problem, then they would have negotiated with me," Hobbs commented last week, as noted by 12News.

Meanwhile, GOP arguments focus on the perceived benefits of the bill. They argue that it offers a trade-off by seeking a new cutoff for returning early ballots that is moved to the Friday before an election, with the expectation of delivering faster results on election night. Senate President Warren Petersen is vocal in his support for the legislation, having told 12News, "The vast majority of people support this." Senate President Warren Petersen added, "They want to get their election results night of."

However, critics, including Democratic lawmakers and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, contend that the urgency to speed up ballot counting is misplaced. Fontes' spokesman Aaron Thacker, in particular, emphasized to KJZZ that most voters are content waiting for official results and that immediate results are more of a media-driven desire. The bill would also make Election Day returns more onerous for rural voters as they would be required to travel to their county recorder's office to drop off ballots.

In response to the impending veto and subsequent discussions, authorities in Maricopa County have already begun preparing a voter outreach campaign. This initiative is expected to be a critical component of the transition if the bill, or an identical ballot measure, becomes law, as Maricopa County Supervisor Mark Stewart highlighted to KJZZ.