SB 1460
Initials SJ Page 1 House Engrossed
ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Fifty-fifth Legislature
Second Regular Session
Senate: GOV DP 7-0-0-0 | 3
rd
Read 17-12-1-0
House: GE DPA 11-2-0-0
SB 1460: election law amendments
Sponsor: Senator Shope, LD 8
House Engrossed
Overview
Makes various modifications to statutes relating to elections.
History
A.R.S. Title 16 outlines the requirements for the conduct of elections in this state. The Secretary
of State is required by statute to provide a system for qualified electors to sign a nomination
petition for candidates for county office, city or town office and the office of precinct committeeman
by way of a secure internet portal. This system must only allow qualified electors who are eligible
to sign a petition for a particular candidate to sign the petition and must provide a method for the
qualified elector's identity to be verified. A qualified candidate may use this system to collect up
to the minimum number of required nomination petition signatures (A.R.S. § 16-317).
Provisions
Call of elections
1. Increases the time period for when each county board of supervisors must give written notice
regarding a consolidated election program from 180 days to 210 days before each
consolidated election date prescribed in statute. (Sec. 4)
2. Expands the time period for calling nonpartisan elections and elections held by a school
district, city or town that are not held concurrently with a general election from no later than
150 days to no later than 180 days before the election date. (Sec. 5)
3. Stipulates that for the publishing of a call of and notice of a nonpartisan election, the governing
body must post the call of election on their public website, if there is no newspaper of general
circulation in the election district, and at other locations where the governing body customarily
posts public notices of their public meetings. (Sec. 6, 7)
Write-in candidates
4. Decreases the time period for a write-in candidate to file the nomination paper to no later than
the 106th day before the election, rather than the 40th day. (Sec. 8)
5. Removes current time period exceptions for write-in candidates for an election that may be
canceled and for filling a vacancy caused by the death, incapacity or withdrawal of a
candidate. (Sec. 8)
6. Exempts a candidate running as a write-in candidate at an election for a special taxing district
from the statutory time period for filing a nomination paper and stipulates that this candidate
must file no later than 5:00 p.m. on the 40th day before the election. (Sec. 8)
7. Requires the paper ballot to include a blank line below the names of the other candidates for
a particular office followed by a place for the voter to indicate the voter's choice either to the SB 1460
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right or left of the blank line for any office for which a write-in candidate has qualified to appear
on the ballot. (Sec. 14)
Online signature collection
8. Requires the Secretary of State to provide a system for all filing offices, except the Office of
County School Superintendent and candidates for school district office in this state, to allow
qualified electors to sign a nomination petition for candidates by way of a secure internet
portal. (Sec. 9)
9. Specifies that a candidate whose filing office participates in the online signature system may
choose to collect any or all of the required signatures. (Sec. 9)
Vacancies
10. States that a vacancy after the printing of official ballots due to voluntary or involuntary
withdrawal of the candidate must be filled as prescribed in statute. (Sec. 10)
11. Includes withdrawal of a candidate after the printing of official ballots in a vacancy that the
Secretary of State must notify the appropriate county board of supervisors as prescribed in
statute. (Sec. 10)
12. Declares that if the withdrawn, deceased or incapacitated candidate receives the highest
number of votes, the office must be declared vacant and statute relating to vacancies applies.
(Sec. 10)
Elections after redistricting
13. Directs the county board of supervisors, if after October 1 of the year before the year of a
general election, to further adjust precinct boundaries due to the redistricting of election
districts as prescribed by law and to adjust these precinct boundaries as soon as is
practicable. (Sec. 12)
14. Maintains that the county recorder must transfer voters who reside in a new precinct if new
precinct boundaries are established as prescribed in statute. (Sec. 13)
15. Specifies that the precincts adopted by October 1 of the year before the year of a general
election become effective no later than January 2 of the year of the next general election.
(Sec. 13)
16. States that the following apply if redistricting requires adjustment of precinct boundaries after
October 1 of the year before the year of a general election:
a) The county recorder must transfer to the new precinct, within 60 days after adoption of the
new precinct boundaries, all voters who reside in a new precinct as a result of the precinct
boundary adjustments;
b) The county recorder must mail the precinct change notice to each household containing
a registered voter unless a sample ballot containing the precinct number or name is mailed
before the primary election; and
c) Precincts adopted after October 1 of the year before the year of a general election become
effective no later than the first date for filing of nomination petitions in the year of the next
general election. (Sec. 13)
Early ballots
17. Mandates that a voter be issued a standard ballot after presenting identification if the voter
surrenders the early ballot to the precinct inspector and the voter is not otherwise required to
be issued a provisional ballot. (Sec. 17)
18. Specifies that the early ballot that is surrendered must be retained by the precinct inspector
and unopened in its affidavit envelope. (Sec. 17) SB 1460
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19. Declares that the following apply for elections conducted using an electronic poll book or
similar system with continuous voter usage updates:
a) The voter may be issued a standard ballot after presenting identification if the electronic
poll book or other system indicates that the voter's early ballot has not been accepted by
the county recorder or returned and the voter is not otherwise required to be issued a
provisional ballot; and
b) The voter may not be issued a standard ballot and may only be issued a provisional ballot
if the electronic poll book or other system indicates that the voter's early ballot has been
accepted by the county recorder or received. (Sec. 17)
Address confidentiality program
20. Directs the Secretary of State, when a person with an existing voter registration record
becomes an Address Confidentiality Program (Program) participant, to secure the
participant's voter registration record and notify the appropriate county recorder of the
participant's:
a) Secured status;
b) Current residence address; and
c) Substitute residence address to revise the voter registration record. (Sec. 18)
21. Stipulates that a Program participant who is not already registered to vote may register to vote
using the substitute address and must provide the election official with the participant's actual
residence address for the purpose of precinct designation. (Sec. 18)
Miscellaneous
22. Specifies that the provisional ballot of a registered voter who has corrected the residence
address on the elector's voter registration will be processed after signature verification. (Sec.
1)
23. Directs the county recorder to send the required notice to electors who have their voter record
information sealed at least six months before the January 5 removal date. (Sec. 2)
24. Allows a county recorder to additionally use the information provided by an electronic voter
registration information center to identify registered voters whose addresses may have
changed. (Sec. 3)
25. Removes the requirement for the change in address to be a different residence address in the
same county and for the county recorder to change the registration records to reflect the new
address. (Sec. 3)
26. Removes the specification of the duties of officers relating to city or town primary elections.
(Sec. 11)
27. Removes the requirement for there to be a square for the voter to make a cross indicating
preference on a ballot for an election relating to a groundwater basin being designated an
active management area. (Sec. 19)
28. Makes technical and conforming changes. (Sec. 1, 5, 7-19)
☐ Prop 105 (45 votes) ☐ Prop 108 (40 votes) ☐ Emergency (40 votes) ☐ Fiscal Note