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Cochise County updates election fee schedule, clarifies new ballot-return option under 2026 law
Summary
The Board adopted an amended elections fee schedule that raises off-season reimbursement to $3 per registered voter and discussed new 2026 ballot-return procedures under House Bill 2785 that allow voters to present photo ID at drop-off to bypass signature verification.
The Cochise County Board of Supervisors on July 14 adopted an amended elections and recorder fee schedule and reviewed new procedures stemming from 2026 changes to state law.
Recorder Cloud and the county elections director (introduced in the transcript as Miss Savant) explained that the county's previously out-of-date fee schedule would be updated to $3 per registered voter for off-season elections to better reflect printing, mailing and ballot-handling costs. "We're not here to make money," Recorder Cloud said; the change is intended to reimburse county costs for administering special off-season elections.
Elections staff described three ways a voter can return an early ballot on election day: handing it to a marshal for placement in an orange marshal bag, dropping it at a vote center into the external ballot box, or presenting a photo voter ID to a tablet judge at a vote center under 2026 House Bill 2785. The latter option allows a voter to show photo ID so the ballot is stamped and placed in a separate box to be counted after tabulation procedures—bypassing the office's signature-verification step.
Elections staff warned that adding additional vote centers carries a per-center cost (reported as about $18,500 for one set of machines) and that the county has a limited number of spare machines to reallocate in case of equipment failures. The board discussed the trade-offs between access and cost, and staff noted the county currently maintains a set number of machines and spares.
During the public-comment period on the item, a county resident commended the recorder's office and elections staff for updating their websites and adding ballot-drop-box hours and locations. The board adopted the amended fee schedule (motion recorded as Resolution 2624) unanimously (3–0).
