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They are daring Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs to follow through with her promise to veto it. That could occur as early as Monday.

The measure, approved without a single Democratic vote, is being promoted by supporters as a way of ensuring it does not take days for Arizonans to learn who won an election. That has been an issue, particularly in close races, because of how counties now deal with what are called “late-early ballots.’’

House Bill 2703 would keep in place existing law that says early ballots can be dropped in the mail so long as they reach county offices by 7 p.m. on Election Day.

But voters would no longer have the option of walking into any polling place on Election Day and depositing their ballot envelopes into a box. Instead, they would have to deliver their voted early ballots directly to the county recorder’s office by the 7 p.m. deadline — a move that foes said could require people to drive hundreds of miles in some rural counties.

There would still be an option for Election Day voting by those with early ballots. But under those circumstances the person would have to present identification — the same procedure they would need to do if voting in person — foregoing the option to skip the line of those waiting to vote in person. In turn, that could add to what sometimes have been long lines and delays at polling places.

All that goes to what Republicans say are unacceptable delays in getting results.

The problem is the way counties count ballots.

Any “early’’ ballot that is simply dropped off at a polling place is set aside.

The envelopes only can be opened after the signature on the outside is first verified, something that cannot be done on site but has to be done at county election offices. That process doesn’t start until the votes cast personally on Election Day are tallied.

In Maricopa County alone there were more than 290,000 of these “late-early’’ ballots dropped off in 2022.

Hobbs has made it clear the bill is headed for a veto.

She said it would disenfranchise Arizonans who like the idea of filling out their ballots at home and then waiting until Election Day to drop them off at a nearby polling place.

Rep. Myron Tsosie, a Chinle Democrat, said the option of bringing a ballot to a county office on Election Day is not a realistic alternative.

“If you want us to drive to our nearest recorder’s office, I would have to drive 3 1/2 hours,’’ Tsosie said.

Hobbs, a former secretary of state, has not disputed the time it takes to get final election results. But she contends the earlier deadline would end up disenfranchising voters.

“My line in the sand has been and will continue to be if you make it harder for Arizonans to continue to cast their ballot, that’s a ‘no’ for me,’’ she said before the first hearing on the bill.

Her view had not changed as of Thursday, with the governor saying Republicans were trying to “jam through a partisan bill that guts vote by mail and makes it harder to vote.’’

Republicans already are preparing to enact the same restrictions, but this time as a proposal for voters in 2026 — a process that bypasses the governor.

Hobbs said there were efforts to negotiate a compromise and she was was willing to discuss other options to speed up the counting process — but only ones that left the Election Day ballot drop-off in place.

Rep. Alexander Kolodin, R-Scottsdale, sponsor of the House version of the measure, said Hobbs really wasn’t interested in coming up with a deal.

Hobbs pointed out that the final bill also includes provisions that have nothing to do with speeding up the counting process.

One requires someone who wants an early ballot to first verify their address, once a year for Pima and Maricopa counties and once every two years for other counties.

The governor said that throws an additional hurdle in the ability of individuals to remain on what is called the “active early voter list’’ and automatically get an early ballot before every election, without having to make a request, as long as they continue to regularly vote.

Hobbs also found fault with another provision to repeal a law that allows a school principal to refuse to allow a building to be used for a polling place, either because space is not available or the safety or welfare of children would be jeopardized.

Supporters of this change said it would help ensure there are sufficient voting locations while foes said it ignores what could be real concerns.