House of
Representatives
HB 2569
cities and towns; approval voting
Sponsors: Representative Olson
Overview
HB 2569 allows a city or town to adopt its own approval voting for primary or first elections.
History
Cities and towns are governed by title 9 of the Arizona Revised Statutes (A.R.S.). Specifically chapter 7, article 3 provide for elections and voters in cities and towns.
A.R.S § 9-821-01 states that the Arizona Constitution requires the legislature’s involvement in issues relating to elections conducted by charter cities, including initiative and referendum elections, the method of elections other than by ballot, laws relating to primary elections, voter registration laws to prevent abuse and fraud and campaign finance laws. Furthermore the statute allows a city or town by ordinance to declare as elected to office any candidate who receives a majority of all votes cast at the primary election for the office or mayor or city council, effective as of the date of the general election, and no further election shall be held as to such candidate.
Approval voting, unlike plurality voting, is a voting system that allows voters to select as many candidates as they choose.
Provisions
· Allows a city or town to establish and use a system of approval voting in that city or town’s primary or first election that provide for the following:
Ø The voter is permitted to vote for as many candidates for a single office as the voter chooses;
Ø The two candidates who receive the highest and second highest number of votes shall advance to the general or runoff election, regardless of whether any one candidate has received a majority of the votes cast for that office; and
Ø The ballot and all other voting materials shall clearly indicate that the voter may vote for as many candidates in that election as the voter chooses, and that the candidates who receive the two highest numbers of votes shall advance to the general or runoff election.
· Maintains that except as otherwise provided in this article, city and town approval voting elections shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of article 8 of chapter 4, title 16 pertaining to early voting.
· Specifies that a city or town is not required to adopt an approval voting system, but a city or town may amend its charter if required for that city or town to adopt an ordinance to implement an approval voting system.
·
·
· ---------- DOCUMENT FOOTER ---------
· Fiftieth Legislature
· Second Regular Session 2 February 7, 2012
·
· ---------- DOCUMENT FOOTER ---------