REFERENCE TITLE: candidate petitions; random sample verification State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-seventh Legislature First Regular Session 2025 HB 2845 Introduced by Representative Diaz AN ACT amending title 16, chapter 3, article 3, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding sections 16-323 and 16-324; relating to nominating procedures. (TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
REFERENCE TITLE: candidate petitions; random sample verification
State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-seventh Legislature First Regular Session 2025
HB 2845
Introduced by Representative Diaz
REFERENCE TITLE: candidate petitions; random sample verification
State of Arizona
House of Representatives
Fifty-seventh Legislature
First Regular Session
2025
HB 2845
Introduced by
Representative Diaz
AN ACT
amending title 16, chapter 3, article 3, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding sections 16-323 and 16-324; relating to nominating procedures.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona: Section 1. Title 16, chapter 3, article 3, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding sections 16-323 and 16-324, to read: START_STATUTE16-323. Petition signatures; random sample; verification A. Within twenty days after the last day for filing candidate petition signatures for an office, the filing officer shall select, at random, five percent of the total signatures eligible for verification by the county recorders of the counties in which the persons signing the petition claim to be qualified electors. The random sample of signatures to be verified shall be drawn in such a manner that every signature eligible for verification has an equal chance of being included in the sample. The random sample that is produced shall identify each signature selected by petition page and line number. The signatures that are selected shall be marked in a clear manner. B. If a signature line that is selected for the random sample is found to be blank, the next line down, even if that requires going to the next petition sheet in sequence, on which an eligible signature appears shall be selected as a substitute if that line has not already been selected for the random sample. If the next eligible line is already being used in the random sample, the filing officer shall proceed back up the page from the signature line originally selected for the random sample to the next previous signature line eligible for verification. If that line is already being used in the random sample, the filing officer shall continue moving down the page or to the next page from the line originally selected for the random sample and shall select the next eligible signature as its substitute for the random sample. The filing officer shall use this process of alternately moving forward and backward until a signature that is eligible for verification and that is not already included in the random sample can be selected and substituted. C. After the selection of the random sample and the marking of the signatures selected on the petition sheets pursuant to subsection B of this section, the filing officer shall transmit a copy of the front of each signature sheet on which a signature that is included in the random sample appears. The filing officer shall clearly identify those signatures marked for verification and shall transmit by personal delivery, certified mail, email or other electronic transmission to each county recorder a copy of each signature sheet on which a signature appears of any individual who claims to be a qualified elector of that county and whose signature was selected for verification as part of the random sample.END_STATUTE START_STATUTE16-324. Petition signatures; certification by county recorder A. Within fifteen days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and other legal holidays, after receiving the facsimile signature sheets from the filing officer pursuant to section 16-323, the county recorder shall determine which signatures of individuals whose names were transmitted shall be disqualified for any of the following reasons: 1. No residence address or description of residence location is provided. 2. No date of signing is provided. 3. The signature is illegible and the signer is otherwise unidentifiable. 4. The address provided is illegible or nonexistent. 5. The individual was not a qualified elector on the date of signing the petition. 6. The individual was a registered voter but was not at least eighteen years of age on the date of signing the petition or affidavit. 7. The signature was disqualified after comparison with the signature on the affidavit of registration. 8. If a petitioner signed more than once, all but one otherwise valid signature shall be disqualified. 9. If a petition signer's signature is determined to be invalid after a comparison is made between the signature and handwriting on the petition and the petition signer's voter registration file. 10. If the person circulating the petition was a justice of the peace or a county recorder at the time the person circulated the petition. B. Within the same time period provided in subsection A of this section, the county recorder shall certify to the filing officer the following: 1. The name of any individual whose signature was included in the random sample and disqualified by the county recorder together with the petition page and line number of the disqualified signature. 2. The total number of signatures that were selected for the random sample and transmitted to the county recorder for verification and the total number of random sample signatures that were disqualified. C. The filing officer shall prescribe the form of the county recorder's certification. D. At the time of the certification, the county recorder shall: 1. Return the facsimile signature sheets to the filing officer of state. 2. Send notice of the results of the certification by mail to the candidate committee that submitted the nomination petition to the FILING officer. END_STATUTE
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Title 16, chapter 3, article 3, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding sections 16-323 and 16-324, to read:
START_STATUTE16-323. Petition signatures; random sample; verification
A. Within twenty days after the last day for filing candidate petition signatures for an office, the filing officer shall select, at random, five percent of the total signatures eligible for verification by the county recorders of the counties in which the persons signing the petition claim to be qualified electors. The random sample of signatures to be verified shall be drawn in such a manner that every signature eligible for verification has an equal chance of being included in the sample. The random sample that is produced shall identify each signature selected by petition page and line number. The signatures that are selected shall be marked in a clear manner.
B. If a signature line that is selected for the random sample is found to be blank, the next line down, even if that requires going to the next petition sheet in sequence, on which an eligible signature appears shall be selected as a substitute if that line has not already been selected for the random sample. If the next eligible line is already being used in the random sample, the filing officer shall proceed back up the page from the signature line originally selected for the random sample to the next previous signature line eligible for verification. If that line is already being used in the random sample, the filing officer shall continue moving down the page or to the next page from the line originally selected for the random sample and shall select the next eligible signature as its substitute for the random sample. The filing officer shall use this process of alternately moving forward and backward until a signature that is eligible for verification and that is not already included in the random sample can be selected and substituted.
C. After the selection of the random sample and the marking of the signatures selected on the petition sheets pursuant to subsection B of this section, the filing officer shall transmit a copy of the front of each signature sheet on which a signature that is included in the random sample appears. The filing officer shall clearly identify those signatures marked for verification and shall transmit by personal delivery, certified mail, email or other electronic transmission to each county recorder a copy of each signature sheet on which a signature appears of any individual who claims to be a qualified elector of that county and whose signature was selected for verification as part of the random sample.END_STATUTE
START_STATUTE16-324. Petition signatures; certification by county recorder
A. Within fifteen days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and other legal holidays, after receiving the facsimile signature sheets from the filing officer pursuant to section 16-323, the county recorder shall determine which signatures of individuals whose names were transmitted shall be disqualified for any of the following reasons:
1. No residence address or description of residence location is provided.
2. No date of signing is provided.
3. The signature is illegible and the signer is otherwise unidentifiable.
4. The address provided is illegible or nonexistent.
5. The individual was not a qualified elector on the date of signing the petition.
6. The individual was a registered voter but was not at least eighteen years of age on the date of signing the petition or affidavit.
7. The signature was disqualified after comparison with the signature on the affidavit of registration.
8. If a petitioner signed more than once, all but one otherwise valid signature shall be disqualified.
9. If a petition signer's signature is determined to be invalid after a comparison is made between the signature and handwriting on the petition and the petition signer's voter registration file.
10. If the person circulating the petition was a justice of the peace or a county recorder at the time the person circulated the petition.
B. Within the same time period provided in subsection A of this section, the county recorder shall certify to the filing officer the following:
1. The name of any individual whose signature was included in the random sample and disqualified by the county recorder together with the petition page and line number of the disqualified signature.
2. The total number of signatures that were selected for the random sample and transmitted to the county recorder for verification and the total number of random sample signatures that were disqualified.
C. The filing officer shall prescribe the form of the county recorder's certification.
D. At the time of the certification, the county recorder shall:
1. Return the facsimile signature sheets to the filing officer of state.
2. Send notice of the results of the certification by mail to the candidate committee that submitted the nomination petition to the FILING officer. END_STATUTE