by Ethan Faverino | Feb 7, 2026 | News
By Ethan Faverino |
On Friday, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signed a Republican bill passed on a bipartisan vote by the Arizona Legislature to change the date of the 2026 primary and permanently move Arizona primaries to the second to last Tuesday in July.
The legislation permanently shifts the primary election date earlier, ensures timely ballot access for military voters overseas, and mandates clearer guidelines for political party observers at polling sites, marking a significant step toward greater election integrity and consistency ahead of the 2026 election cycle.
HB 2022 addresses longstanding issues with Arizona’s election calendar by moving the primary from August 4 to the second-to-last Tuesday in July – specifically July 21 for 2026.
This two-week adjustment resolves conflicts with federal requirements under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), which mandates that ballots be sent to military and overseas voters at least 45 days before an election. Previously, Arizona’s timeline risked delays, potentially disenfranchising service members.
By advancing the date, the bill ensures that ballots are mailed on time, giving voters abroad ample time to receive, complete, and return them.
The measure also enhances transparency and oversight by explicitly requiring authorized political party observers to be permitted at all voting locations, including early voting centers and emergency voting sites.
The bill was sponosored by Rep. Alexander Kolodin (R-LD3) with a mirrored bill (SB 1425) sponsored in the Arizona Senate by Sen. Wendy Rogers (R-LD7).
“Arizona law has always intended to protect the integrity of our elections, including for military voters and at ALL voting locations,” said Rep. Kolodin. “I am delighted that Governor Hobbs agreed with me that this commonsense reform and legislation is necessary.”
“This was a unified Republican effort leading the way from start to finish,” Senator Rogers added. “By working together across chambers, we delivered a commonsense election bill that protects military voters, brings clarity to our election calendar, and strengthens transparency for Arizona voters. This is how the process should work.”
New voter deadlines are as follows:
- Voter Registration Deadline: June 22, 2026
- Ballots are mailed to voters on the Active Early Voter List and In-Person Early Voting Begins: June 24, 2026
- Primary Election Day: July 21, 2026
The Primary date change also impacts filing deadlines for candidates running for office.
Filing Dates:
- Partisan Primary Candidate Filing: Feb. 21, 2026 – March 23, 2026
- Precinct Committeemen Write-In Deadline: April 6, 2026
- Write-In Candidate Filing Deadline: May 22, 2026
The measure had the full support of the Arizona Freedom Caucus (AFC). In a statement, AFC Chairman Senator Jake Hoffman (R-LD15) said, “Governor Hobbs signing Representative Kolodin’s HB 2022 is a huge win for election integirty in Arizona. While Adrian Fontes is making radical and unserious legislative proposals, like expanding unaccountable, sprawling voting centers and reinstating a permanent early voter list, Representative Kolodin is leading with bipartisan supermajorities.”
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Jan 24, 2026 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
A proposed constitutional amendment aimed at reshaping Arizona’s election system passed its first major legislative hurdle in a hearing on Wednesday, as the Arizona House Committee on Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections (FMAE) approved Rep. Alexander Kolodin’s (R-LD3) Arizona Secure Elections Act.
The Committee advanced House Concurrent Resolution 2001 with a 4-3 vote. It now heads to the House Rules Committee. If approved by both chambers of the Arizona Legislature, the measure would be referred to voters on the November 2026 general election ballot.
Kolodin announced the committee hearing on social media ahead of the meeting.
According to supporters, HCR 2001 is intended to address concerns about voter confidence following recent election cycles. If approved by voters, the constitutional amendment would establish several requirements for statewide election administration.
Those provisions include limiting voter registration and participation to U.S. citizens, prohibiting foreign contributions to candidates or ballot initiatives, and requiring government-issued identification in order to vote.
Additional requirements would mandate that early voting concludes no later than 7:00 p.m. on the Friday preceding a Tuesday general election, prohibit the acceptance of ballots after polls close on Election Day, preserve in-person voting options at accessible polling locations, and require mail-in voters to verify their address each election cycle.
Committee Debate
During the hearing before the committee, Kolodin described HCR 2001 as an effort to overhaul Arizona’s election system by drawing comparisons to reforms adopted in Florida after the 2000 presidential election.
“This year the Arizona State Legislature will give the voters of Arizona the opportunity to transform our system of elections from a national embarrassment to a national model,” Kolodin told committee members, arguing that Florida’s reforms improved election security, sped up results, and increased voter satisfaction.
Kolodin urged lawmakers to advance the measure, saying the proposal would allow voters to address longstanding concerns about election administration.
Democrats raised concerns about voter access and election logistics. Rep. Aaron Márquez (D-LD5) argued that the proposal would effectively end the active early voting list and push large numbers of voters back into in-person voting without funding for additional polling locations, potentially creating longer lines on Election Day.
Kolodin rejected that characterization, emphasizing that HCR 2001 is a constitutional ballot referral rather than a statutory change.
“You have mistaken assumptions right off the bat,” Kolodin said. “It’s not a piece of legislation. It’s not modifying statutory law. This is a constitutional ballot referral.”
Kolodin explained that constitutional amendments are intended to establish broad governing principles, while election administration details are left to statute.
“In a statute, you want to be prescriptivist,” he said. “With a constitutional amendment, you must refrain from being overly prescriptivist,” noting that constitutional provisions are designed to endure for generations.
Addressing concerns about early voting, Kolodin said the proposal would not eliminate early or mail-in voting but would require voters to confirm their address each election cycle before automatically receiving a ballot.
Kolodin also defended the proposal’s voter identification requirements, arguing that the current signature verification system is imprecise and can result in lawful ballots being rejected.
“Our current system of signature verification, which is incredibly imprecise, leads to a large number of valid votes sometimes be[ing] rejected. It’s a very imperfect system. A more precise system, where a definite match can be obtained, where you don’t have to squint at the loops and the squiggles to try to figure out the signatures match, or if a ballot should be sent to curing, and potentially rejected, but where there’s something where it’s binary: it’s either a yes or no. There’s no matter of opinion there [that] will actually lead to fewer votes cast by lawful voters being rejected in the system,” Kolodin said.
Advocacy Groups Weigh In
The Arizona branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, represented by Katelynn Contreras, opposed the Resolution during the public comment period, stating, “HCR 2001 does not improve election integrity. Instead, it will restrict access for eligible voters to create confusion and rigid, unworkable rules in the Arizona Constitution. This resolution significantly curtails early and non-voting options that most Arizonans rely on.“ The ACLU representative cited what she described as survey data, claiming that 70 percent of Arizona voters say elections are fair and that roughly 80 percent vote by mail or early, and suggested that the ballot measure would “ban a method of voting that is widely used in the state.”
The figures cited by the ACLU couldn’t be independently verified by AZ Free News.
Asked to clarify the claim, Contreras said the measure would create “new discretionary areas that could be used to restrict mail voting for future.” Kolodin responded, “Mr. chair, I just wish to point out that that is untrue. OK, I just want to put that very clearly.”
The Arizona Freedom Caucus has promoted the proposal on its social media channels since the resolution’s prefiling in November, identifying it as a legislative priority and encouraging public engagement ahead of committee consideration. Arizona House Republican accounts have also circulated prior statements from Kolodin outlining the proposal’s intent.
Arizona Freedom Caucus Chairman Jake Hoffman (R-LD15) urged legislative leaders to advance the proposal following committee review.
“The Arizona Freedom Caucus is grateful that AFC Member Representative Alexander Kolodin has once again provided much-needed leadership in the critical mission to secure Arizona’s elections today and into the future,” Hoffman said. “Once it is heard by the FMAE Committee this week, I urge House Leadership to move it quickly to a floor vote and then send it to the Senate.”
Kolodin criticized the objections raised during the hearing, saying opponents had failed to cite provisions supporting claims that the measure would end early voting.
“We have now reached the point where the opposition to this measure has become truly silly,” Kolodin said, arguing that the proposal would expand, not restrict, voting opportunities.
He added, “It is time for the people of Arizona to have the opportunity to get their kids and their grandkids, my kids and your kids, an election system that we can be proud of, an election system that actually works, instead of inconveniencing and disenfranchising voters, and an election system that provides more opportunities for community participation by casting one’s vote at the polls or to return you ballot to the polls as you prefer. And it’s time, in other words, to take this choice out of the hands of politicians and put it in the hands of the people who actually deserve to have it: you, the voters of Arizona, and that’s where we’re sending it, despite the opposition.”
AZ Free News previously reported on Kolodin’s election integrity proposals and related legislative efforts, including the prefiling of HCR 2001 and its Senate mirror measure, SCR 1001, in November 2025. The Senate resolution, introduced by Sen. Shawnna Bolick (R-LD20), passed a hearing with the Senate Judiciary Committee 4-3 on Wednesday and will be heard next by the Senate Rules Committee.
The resolution must be approved by both the Arizona House and Senate before it can be referred to voters for consideration in 2026.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Jonathan Eberle | Nov 17, 2025 | News
By Jonathan Eberle |
The Arizona Freedom Caucus (AFC) is throwing its support behind a new election-related proposal from Rep. Alexander Kolodin, announcing its endorsement for the Arizona Secure Elections Act, a measure the group says is aimed at restoring trust and stability in the state’s voting system.
The bill outlines a series of election policy changes that AFC members argue are necessary to address ongoing concerns about administration errors, delays, and voter confidence. According to the caucus, repeated issues in recent election cycles have eroded public trust and demand a comprehensive response.
“The integrity of our elections remains a top priority,” the caucus said in its statement, pointing to what it described as persistent failures that have “made it impossible for reasonable people to trust the integrity of the process and therefore outcomes.” The AFC said its legislative agenda will continue to center on tightening election procedures and removing what it views as opportunities for error or abuse.
The Arizona Secure Elections Act would make a series of changes to election laws, including affirming the principle of “one citizen, one vote”; banning campaign or ballot-measure contributions from foreign individuals or corporations; requiring government-issued identification for all voters; ending early voting at 7 p.m. on the Friday before Election Day; prohibiting ballots from being cast or accepted after polls close on Election Day; guaranteeing access to in-person voting at local polling places; and requiring mail-in voters to confirm their mailing address every election year.
If approved by lawmakers, the measure would appear on the next general election ballot for voters to decide, setting up a statewide vote as soon as 2026. AFC Chair Sen. Jake Hoffman praised both the proposal and Kolodin’s involvement, calling the act a pivotal step toward what the caucus views as long-needed structural reforms.
“With our endorsement, we will be working to ensure that Arizonans have the opportunity to vote for this Act on the 2026 ballot,” Hoffman said, crediting Kolodin and other AFC members for advancing what he characterized as essential election security priorities.
The legislation, if passed, would bypass the governor and head directly to voters for final approval. The AFC says it intends to campaign for the measure statewide ahead of the 2026 election. The proposal is likely to draw significant attention as lawmakers continue to debate voting access, election security, and administrative reforms—issues that have dominated Arizona politics across several cycles.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Nov 12, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
President Donald J. Trump issued a sweeping proclamation granting unconditional pardons to dozens of figures tied to 2020 alternate-elector efforts on Friday. Trump described the move as ending a “grave national injustice” while shielding allies from potential federal prosecution.
The pardon, signed by Trump acting under Article II, section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, explicitly states that it “ends a grave national injustice perpetrated upon the American people following the 2020 Presidential Election and continues the process of national reconciliation.”
The proclamation covers any advice, organization, execution, participation in or advocacy for proposed slates of electors – whether recognized by state officials or not – submitted in battleground states, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin, where alternate elector certificates were filed in an effort to challenge results certified for then-candidate Joe Biden. It applies to federal offenses only and does not extend to state-level charges, nor does it pardon Trump himself, with the document noting: “This pardon does not apply to the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump.”
Ed Martin, a Justice Department attorney serving as U.S. Pardon Attorney, announced the pardons late Sunday on X, posting images of the four-page proclamation and stating, “Breaking: President Trump pardoned the 2020 Alternative Electors. Thank you: @POTUS for allowing me, as U.S. Pardon Attorney, to work with @WhiteHouse, along with @AGPamBondi, @DAGToddBlanche & SG John Sauer, to achieve your intent—let their healing begin. #Federalist74.” Martin shared the document in a reply to his earlier post with the comment, “No MAGA left behind.”
The pardon names 77 individuals explicitly, though it states the list is not exhaustive and encompasses broader conduct tied to the alternate elector efforts. Prominent figures included are former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani; attorneys Sidney Powell, John Eastman, and Kenneth Chesebro; former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows; Trump campaign aides Boris Epshteyn and Christina Bobb; and Georgia Republican Party officials David Shafer, Cathy Latham, and Shawn Still.
Among the Arizona Republicans named are former state GOP Chair Dr. Kelli Ward, Dr. Michael Ward, former U.S. Senate candidate James (Jim) Lamon, former state Sen. Anthony Kern, state Sen. Jake Hoffman, and Turning Point USA COO Tyler Bowyer.
These pardons do not affect ongoing state prosecutions, however, such as those currently pending review by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes.
Dr. Kelli Ward responded to the pardon in a statement posted to X writing:
“President @realDonaldTrump has issued a Federal pardon which will protect us from future Federal Democrat lawfare. @jimmythemole001 [Dr. Michael Ward] and I are grateful for this and we maintain our innocence as well as our right to challenge elections in America. Thanks to @EagleEdMartin, @CletaMitchell, and others for not forgetting all of us and the 2020 election debacle that has caused so much harm to our great country.
It’s been a long road and we aren’t quite at the end yet. We still face state charges though a state judge has already ruled the state violated our rights and the Appeals Court refused to take up the case. The Democrat AG has until 11/21/25 to decide whether she will appeal to the state Supreme Court to continue her partisan targeting of her political adversaries or if she will drop the case. Keep us in your prayers.”
Other named recipients include: Jenna Ellis, Jeffrey Clark, Scott Hall, Harrison Floyd, Ray Smith, Misty Hampton, Trevian Kutti, Michael Roman, Stephen Cliffgard Lee, Robert Cheeley, Mark Amick, Kathy Berden, Joseph Brannan, Carol Brunner, Mary Buestrin, Daryl Carlson, James “Ken” Carroll, and Brad Carver.
The alternate elector documents were created in December 2020 and asserted that President Trump had won those states while the results were being contested, following the precedent of the 1960 Presidential Election in Hawaii. They were submitted to Congress and the National Archives ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, electoral vote certification. None of the 77 individuals faced federal charges, rendering the pardons largely preemptive against potential future prosecutions, according to reports. Separately, Trump pardoned more than 1,000 individuals convicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach, which stemmed from efforts to disrupt the election certification.
Acting-CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, Kari Lake, praised the action early Monday on X, writing, “God bless you, President @realDonaldTrump, for pardoning these folks. Most of them are incredible Patriots. They didn’t deserve what came their way.”
Replies to both posts reflected divided sentiment, with supporters calling the recipients “honorable” and victims of “political persecution.” At the same time, critics labeled them “anti-American” and the pardons a “perversion of justice.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Staff Reporter | Oct 27, 2025 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
Arizona education leaders want their students to be ready for the dawning age of artificial intelligence (AI).
The state is now the leader in the nation for percentage of students using AI tools. State Superintendent Tom Horne announced this development on Thursday in a press release.
“I am a strong supporter of AI as a classroom tool to assist, but not replace, educators,” said Horne. “So far, about 4,000 educators statewide are using this system, and I encourage more teachers to sign up. It is an invaluable resource that helps educators do their jobs more effectively.”
Over 170,000 students — representing 16 percent of the state’s public school student population — are using AI-powered tutoring to improve their academic performance.
These students rely on the AI education system Khanmigo within Khan Academy. Horne called the sweeping adoption of the tools “tremendous.” The Arizona Department of Education invested $1.5 million for Khamingo access last year.
Horne said he selected Khanmigo for its tutoring approach: guiding students through the critical thought process, rather than merely providing answers.
“It engages students by asking questions that guide them to discover solutions on their own,” said Horne. “This approach delivers rigorous, individualized Socratic-style tutoring — a proven method for improving academic outcomes.”
The “Socratic” method referenced by Horne concerns arriving at answers through a series of open-ended questions structured to encourage critical thinking.
An example of Khanmigo’s phrasing provided in the press release (solving for “m” in the sample math problem, 3 – 2(9+2m) = m) showed how the tool prioritizes guiding the student to work through problems.
“Let’s work through it together! What do you think the first step should be to solve this equation?”
Khanmigo conversations are also recordable and viewable by teachers.
The over 4,000 Arizona educators mentioned by Horne rely on an online AI platform called the Arizona Digital Educators Library (ADEL). This platform assists educators with creating lesson plans and classroom materials that meet the state’s academic standards.
ADEL also has 50 ambassadors to increase educator usage throughout the state. There are over 57,000 educators in the state: over 47,000 in district schools and nearly 10,000 in charter schools.
As Horne explained in his State of Education speech in January, educators can use Khanmigo to strengthen student weaknesses revealed through testing.
“Today, when a teacher gives a test, some students get 90 percent, others get 70 percent. Those with 70 percent are moved to the next grade, missing 30 percent of the knowledge they need for continuing their studies. They are lost,” said Horne. “With Khanmigo, the teacher can say ‘here is what you did not learn, use Khanmigo to tutor you on that subject.’”
State Senator Jake Hoffman, founder of the Arizona Freedom Caucus, expressed support for the implementation of AI tools in schools. Hoffman said AI posed a greater threat to the American worker than Russia, China, and nuclear war.
“If K-12 public schools and public universities are not aggressively retooling every aspect of their operation to equip students with the skills to survive in this new AI age, they’ve already failed,” said Hoffman.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
