16-351.01. Nomination challenges; expenses

For any challenge of a candidate's nominating petition for which the county recorder or officer in charge of elections is required to conduct signature verification and to which the county recorder or officer in charge of elections is a party, the court may award to the county recorder or officer in charge of elections the reasonable expenses incurred in signature verification if the court determines that the challenge was without substantial justification or was primarily or solely for delay or harassment or that the candidate who submitted the petition knowingly or recklessly filed a substantial number of invalid signatures.