It's important to note that a voter's identity is confirmed before their ballot is counted, whether it's an early ballot or a ballot cast at the polls. The Help America Vote Act requires first time voters who vote by mail to prove their identity before they can receive a ballot. Identification is verified by one of the following:Verification of a registrant’s Arizona driver's license, or Arizona state identification number, or last four digits of social security number
Presentation of a registrant’s current and valid photo identification
Presentation of a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the name and address of the registrant.
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Arizona Revised Statutes, Title 16 - Elections and Electors
https://www.azleg.gov/arsDetail/?title=16
Article 8, Section 16-550; Version 2
Receipt of voter's ballot; cure period; tracking system
[I separated some of the following, in order to make paragraph "A." easier to read.]
A. On receipt of the envelope containing the early ballot and the ballot affidavit, the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall compare the signatures thereon with the signature of the elector on the elector's registration record.
If the signature is inconsistent with the elector's signature on the elector's registration record, the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall make reasonable efforts to contact the voter, advise the voter of the inconsistent signature and allow the voter to correct or the county to confirm the inconsistent signature.
The county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall allow signatures to be corrected not later than the fifth business day after a primary, general or special election that includes a federal office or the third business day after any other election.
If the signature is missing, the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall make reasonable efforts to contact the elector, advise the elector of the missing signature and allow the elector to add the elector's signature not later than 7:00 p.m. on election day.
If satisfied that the signatures correspond, the recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall hold the envelope containing the early ballot and the completed affidavit unopened in accordance with the rules of the secretary of state.
B. The recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall thereafter safely keep the affidavits and early ballots in the recorder's or other officer's office and may deliver them for tallying pursuant to section 16-551. Tallying of ballots may begin immediately after the envelope and completed affidavit are processed pursuant to this section and delivered to the early election board.
C. The county recorder shall send a list of all voters who were issued early ballots to the election board of the precinct in which the voter is registered.
D. For a county that uses early ballots, the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall provide an early ballot tracking system that indicates whether the voter's early ballot has been received and whether the early ballot has been verified and sent to be tabulated or rejected. The county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall provide voters with access to the early ballot tracking system on the county's website.
A. INTRODUCTION
“Signature verification” is the process of comparing the signature on a voter’s affidavit envelope or ballot affidavit with the voter’s signature in the voter registration database. Signature verification plays an important role in our elections because it helps ensure that only those individuals eligible to vote have their vote counted. By serving as the method of identity verification for mailed ballots, it allows Arizona voters the convenience of voting by mail. This Guide will help those reviewing ballot affidavit signatures determine whether the ballot affidavit signature and the voter’s signature in the voter registration database were authored by the same person.
This Guide is provided to assist County Recorders’ Offices and their staff in conducting signature verification and is intended to be used as a reference in combination with the County Recorder’s specific procedures for early ballot processing. The Arizona Secretary of State’s Office thanks the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office and Yavapai County Recorder’s Office for sharing their excellent guides, from which this Guide is adapted.