Fifty-first Legislature                                                 Elections

First Regular Session                                                   H.B. 2536

 

PROPOSED AMENDMENT

 

SENATE AMENDMENTS TO H.B. 2536

 

(Reference to House engrossed bill)

 

 


Page 1, between lines 1 and 2, insert:

“Section 1.  Section 9-231, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE9-231.  Common council; date of election

A.  The corporate powers of a town incorporated under the provisions of section 9‑101 shall be vested in a common council.  The first common council shall be appointed by the board of supervisors, upon declaring the town incorporated, and the members shall continue in office until their successors are elected and qualified.  The successors shall be elected by qualified electors residing in the town at an election held for that purpose on the third Tuesday in May following, and on the third Tuesday in May each two years thereafter, unless and until the date of such election is changed pursuant to the provisions of subsection C of this pursuant to section 16-204.

B.  The common council of every town shall consist of five members if the population is fifteen hundred persons or less, or seven members if the population exceeds fifteen hundred persons at the time of incorporation.  If thereafter the population of such town exceeds fifteen hundred persons as determined by the latest official United States census, the council may pass an ordinance increasing the membership to seven, with the additional two members to be elected at the first election subsequent to the passage of the ordinance.

C.  A city or town may only hold a general election on a date prescribed by section 16‑204.


Sec. 2.  Section 16-411, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE16-411.  Designation of election precincts and polling places; voting centers; electioneering; wait times

A.  Except as prescribed by subsection J of this section, the board of supervisors of each county, on or before December 1 of each year preceding the year of a general election, by an order, shall establish a convenient number of election precincts in the county and define the boundaries of the precincts.  Such election precinct boundaries shall be so established as included within election districts prescribed by law for elected officers of the state and its political subdivisions including community college district precincts, except those elected officers provided for in titles 30 and 48.

B.  Not less than twenty days before a general or primary election, and at least ten days before a special election, the board shall designate one polling place within each precinct where the election shall be held, except that:

1.  On a specific finding of the board, included in the order or resolution designating polling places pursuant to this subsection, that no suitable polling place is available within a precinct, a polling place for such precinct may be designated within an adjacent precinct.

2.  Adjacent precincts may be combined if boundaries so established are included in election districts prescribed by law for state elected officials and political subdivisions including community college districts but not including elected officials prescribed by titles 30 and 48.  The officer in charge of elections may also split a precinct for administrative purposes.  Any such polling places shall be listed in separate sections of the order or resolution.

3.  On a specific finding of the board that the number of persons who are listed as permanent early voters pursuant to section 16‑544 is likely to substantially reduce the number of voters appearing at one or more specific polling places at that election, adjacent precincts may be consolidated by combining polling places and precinct boards for that election.  The board of supervisors shall ensure that a reasonable and adequate number of polling places will be designated for that election.  Any consolidated polling places shall be listed in separate sections of the order or resolution of the board.

4.  On a specific resolution of the board, the board may authorize the use of voting centers in place of or in addition to specifically designated polling places.  A voting center shall allow any voter in that county to receive the appropriate ballot for that voter on election day and lawfully cast the ballot.  Voting centers may be established in coordination and consultation with the county recorder, at other county offices or at other locations in the county deemed appropriate.

C.  If the board fails to designate the place for holding the election, or if it cannot be held at or about the place designated, the justice of the peace in the precinct, two days before the election, by an order, copies of which the justice of the peace shall immediately post in three public places in the precinct, shall designate the place within the precinct for holding the election.  If there is no justice of the peace in the precinct, or if the justice of the peace fails to do so, the election board of the precinct shall designate and give notice of the place within the precinct of holding the election.  For any election in which there are no candidates for elected office appearing on the ballot, the board may consolidate polling places and precinct boards and may consolidate the tabulation of results for that election if all of the following apply:

1.  All affected voters are notified by mail of the change at least thirty‑three days before the election.

2.  Notice of the change in polling places includes notice of the new voting location, notice of the hours for voting on election day and notice of the telephone number to call for voter assistance.

3.  All affected voters receive information on early voting that includes the application used to request an early voting ballot.

D.  The board is not required to designate a polling place for special district mail ballot elections held pursuant to article 8.1 of this chapter, but the board may designate one or more sites for voters to deposit marked ballots until 7:00 p.m. on the day of the election.

E.  Except as provided in subsection F of this section, a public school shall provide sufficient space for use as a polling place for any city, county or state election when requested by the officer in charge of elections.

F.  The principal of the school may deny a request to provide space for use as a polling place for any city, county or state election if, within two weeks after a request has been made, the principal provides a written statement indicating a reason the election cannot be held in the school, including any of the following:

1.  Space is not available at the school.

2.  The safety or welfare of the children would be jeopardized.

G.  The board shall make available to the public as a public record a list of the polling places for all precincts in which the election is to be held including identification of polling place changes that were submitted to the United States department of justice for approval.

H.  Except in the case of an emergency, any facility that is used as a polling place on election day or that is used as an early voting site during the period of early voting shall allow persons to electioneer and engage in other political activity outside of the seventy‑five foot limit prescribed by section 16‑515 in public areas and parking lots used by voters.  This subsection shall not be construed to permit the temporary or permanent construction of structures in public areas and parking lots or the blocking or other impairment of access to parking spaces for voters.  The county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall post on its website at least two weeks before election day a list of those polling places in which emergency conditions prevent electioneering and shall specify the reason the emergency exemption designation was granted and the number of attempts that were made to find a polling place before granting an emergency designation.  If the polling place is not on the website list of polling places with emergency conditions designations, electioneering and other political activity shall be permitted outside of the seventy‑five foot limit.  If an emergency arises after the county recorder's recorder or other officer in charge of elections initial website posting, the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall update the website as soon as is practicable to include any new polling places, shall highlight the polling place location on the website and shall specify the reason the emergency exemption designation was granted and the number of attempts that were made to find a polling place before granting an emergency designation.

I.  For the purposes of this section, a county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall designate a polling place as an emergency polling place and thus prohibit persons from electioneering and engaging in other political activity outside of the seventy-five foot limit prescribed by section 16‑515 but inside the property of the facility that is hosting the polling place if any of the following occurs:

1.  An act of god renders a previously set polling place as unusable.

2.  A county recorder or other officer in charge of elections has exhausted all options and there are no suitable facilities in a precinct that are willing to be a polling place unless a facility can be given an emergency designation.

I. j.  The secretary of state shall provide through the instructions and procedures manual adopted pursuant to section 16-452 the maximum allowable wait time for any election that is subject to section 16-204 and provide for a method to reduce voter wait time at the polls in the primary and general elections.  The method shall consider at least all of the following for primary and general elections in each precinct:

1.  The number of ballots voted in the prior primary and general elections.

2.  The number of registered voters who voted early in the prior primary and general elections.

3.  The number of registered voters and the number of registered voters who cast an early ballot for the current primary or general election.

4.  The number of election board members and clerks and the number of rosters that will reduce voter wait time at the polls.

J. k.  The board of supervisors of a county shall not change precinct lines during the period after July 31, 2008 and before January 1, 2011.  The board of supervisors may subdivide an election precinct for administrative purposes or may provide for more than one polling place within the boundaries of the election precincts established for use in voting in elections held after July 31, 2008 and before January 1, 2011.  In providing for multiple polling places within a precinct, the board of supervisors shall consider the particular population characteristics of each precinct in order to provide the voters the most reasonable access to the polls possible.” END_STATUTE

Page 17, after line 19, insert:

“Sec. 9.  Section 33-1261, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE33-1261.  Flag display; for sale, rent or lease signs; political activities; applicability

A.  Notwithstanding any provision in the condominium documents, an association shall not prohibit the outdoor display of any of the following:

1.  The American flag or an official or replica of a flag of the United States army, navy, air force, marine corps or coast guard by a unit owner on that unit owner's property if the American flag or military flag is displayed in a manner consistent with the federal flag code (P.L. 94‑344; 90 Stat. 810; 4 United States Code sections 4 through 10).

2.  The POW/MIA flag.

3.  The Arizona state flag.

4.  An Arizona Indian nations flag.

5.  The Gadsden flag.

B.  The association shall adopt reasonable rules and regulations regarding the placement and manner of display of the American flag, the military flag, the POW/MIA flag, the Arizona state flag or an Arizona Indian nations flag.  The association rules may regulate the location and size of flagpoles but shall not prohibit the installation of a flagpole.

C.  Notwithstanding any provision in the condominium documents, an association shall not prohibit or charge a fee for the use of, the placement of or the indoor or outdoor display of a for sale, for rent or for lease sign and a sign rider by a unit owner on that owner's property in any combination, including a sign that indicates the unit owner is offering the property for sale by owner.  The size of a sign offering a property for sale, for rent or for lease shall be in conformance with the industry standard size sign, which shall not exceed eighteen by twenty-four inches, and the industry standard size sign rider, which shall not exceed six by twenty-four inches.  This subsection applies only to a commercially produced sign and an association may prohibit the use of signs that are not commercially produced. With respect to real estate for sale, for rent or for lease in the condominium, an association shall not prohibit in any way other than as is specifically authorized by this section or otherwise regulate any of the following:

1.  Temporary open house signs or a unit owner's for sale sign.  The association shall not require the use of particular signs indicating an open house or real property for sale and may not further regulate the use of temporary open house or for sale signs that are industry standard size and that are owned or used by the seller or the seller's agent.

2.  Open house hours.  The association may not limit the hours for an open house for real estate that is for sale in the condominium, except that the association may prohibit an open house being held before 8:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m. and may prohibit open house signs on the common elements of the condominium.

3.  An owner's or an owner's agent's for rent or for lease sign unless an association's documents prohibit or restrict leasing of a unit or units.  An association shall not further regulate a for rent or for lease sign or require the use of a particular for rent or for lease sign other than the for rent or for lease sign shall not be any larger than the industry standard size sign of eighteen by twenty‑four inches and on or in the unit owner's property.  If rental or leasing of a unit is allowed, the association may prohibit an open house for rental or leasing being held before 8:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m.

D.  Notwithstanding any provision in the condominium documents, an association shall not prohibit door to door political activity, including solicitations of support or opposition regarding candidates or ballot issues, and shall not prohibit the circulation of political petitions, including candidate nomination petitions or petitions in support of or opposition to an initiative, referendum or recall or other political issue on property normally open to visitors within the association, except that an association may do the following:

1.  Restrict or prohibit door to door political activity regarding candidates or ballot issues from sunset to sunrise.

2.  Require the prominent display of an identification tag for each person engaged in the activity, along with the prominent identification of the candidate or ballot issue that is the subject of the support or opposition.

E.   Notwithstanding any provision in the condominium documents, an association shall not prohibit the indoor or outdoor display of a political sign by a unit owner on that unit owner's property, including any limited common elements for that unit, except that an association may prohibit the display of political signs earlier than seventy‑one days before the day of an election and later than three days after an election day.  An association may regulate the size and number of political signs that may be placed on a unit owner's property if the association's regulation is no more restrictive than any applicable city, town or county ordinance that regulates the size and number of political signs on residential property.  If the city, town or county in which the property is located does not regulate the size and number of political signs on residential property, the association shall not limit the number of political signs, except that the maximum aggregate total dimensions of all political signs on a unit owner's property shall not exceed nine square feet. An association shall not make any regulations regarding the number of candidates supported, the number of public officers supported or opposed in a recall or the number of propositions supported or opposed on a political sign For the purposes of this subsection, "political sign" means a sign that attempts to influence the outcome of an election, including supporting or opposing the recall of a public officer or supporting or opposing the circulation of a petition for a ballot measure, question or proposition or the recall of a public officer.

F.  An association shall not require political signs to be commercially produced or professionally manufactured or prohibit the utilization of both sides of a political sign.

G.  A condominium is not required to comply with subsection D of this section if the condominium restricts vehicular or pedestrian access to the condominium.  Nothing in this section requires a condominium to make its common elements other than roadways and sidewalks that are normally open to visitors available for the circulation of political petitions to anyone who is not an owner or resident of the community.

H.  An association or managing agent that violates subsection C of this section forfeits and extinguishes the lien rights authorized under section 33‑1256 against that unit for a period of six consecutive months from the date of the violation.

I.  This section does not apply to timeshare plans or associations that are subject to chapter 20 of this title. END_STATUTE

Sec. 10.  Implementation of consolidated elections

A.  Notwithstanding any other law, in order to comply with the consolidation of election dates prescribed in Laws 2012, chapter 353, a city or town may shorten or lengthen the term of office for its elected officials.

B.  For any city or town whose alternate expenditure limit expires in the spring of 2014, the penalties specified in section 41-1279.07, Arizona Revised Statutes, shall not apply in fiscal year 2015 provided the city or town seeks voter approval of an alternative expenditure limit in the fall of 2014.

Amend title to conform


MICHELE REAGAN

 

3/11/13

12:49 PM

S: CRS/ly