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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Sixth Legislature, Second Regular Session
AMENDED
technical
correction; joint school district
NOW:
department of education; reports; consolidation
(NOW: petitions; electronic signatures)
Purpose
Requires the Secretary of State (SOS) to provide a secure, online petition signature collection system (E-Qual) for candidates for judicial office.
Background
In 2014, the
Legislature enacted legislation that requires the SOS to provide for E-Qual for
qualified electors to sign a nomination petition by way of a secure internet
portal and requires the E-Qual to authorize and verify the identity of those
qualified elector's eligible to sign a candidate's petition. Any nomination petition for a candidate
for judge of the superior court, judge of the court of appeals or justice of
the supreme court to be voted on at any election must be prepared and filed
and include a minimum number of required nomination petition signatures. Statute
prescribes the minimum number of signatures that a nomination petition must
include as follows: 1) at least
one-fourth of the qualified signers in the state, for a state office excluding
members of the Legislature; and 2) at least one percent of the qualified
signers in the county or district, for a county office or superior court judge
(A.R.S. §§ 16-322 and 16-333; Laws 2014, Ch. 45).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Requires the SOS to provide for E-Qual for qualified electors to sign a nomination petition for candidates for judicial offices that require nomination petitions and the office of clerk of the superior court that allows candidates to collect up to 125 percent of the full amount of required nomination petition signatures by way of a secure internet portal.
2. Makes conforming changes.
3. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Amendments Adopted by Committee
· Adopted the strike-everything amendment.
Amendments Adopted by Committee of the Whole
· Increases the amount of nomination petition signatures that a judicial candidate may collect.
Senate Action
ELEC 3/18/24 DPA/SE 7-0-1
Prepared by Senate Research
April 2, 2024
AN/HS/cs