PHOENIX—Due to recent litigation in federal court on the issue of ballot harvesting—and with primary and general elections upcoming—Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery issued the following statement on the state’s law on ballot abuse, A.R.S. 16-1005, which was passed by the Legislature in 2016.

“It has come to my attention that there may be some confusion about the intention to enforce the election laws in Arizona. I want to assure anyone who may be planning to engage in ballot harvesting for this Primary Election and General Election that it is a class 6 felony to knowingly collect a mail-in ballot for the primary election in August, or for the general election in November, unless you are a family member, household member, or caregiver for the voter to whom the ballot was issued. Based on its concerns about the potential for fraud and misconduct affecting our elections, the Arizona State Legislature passed this law in order to protect the integrity of Arizona elections. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office is committed to protecting our voting process by enforcing this law. If you are not authorized by the statute to take possession of another voter’s ballot, instruct the voter personally to place their ballot in the mail, to deliver the ballot in person, or to vote in person.”