REFERENCE TITLE: ballot measures; 200-word description

 

 

 

 

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-fifth Legislature

First Regular Session

2021

 

 

 

SB 1105

 

Introduced by

Senator Mesnard

 

 

AN ACT

 

amending sections 19-101, 19-102 and 19-111, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to initiative and referendum.

 

 

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

 


Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1.  Section 19-101, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE19-101.  Referendum petition; circulators; violation; classification

A.  The following shall be the form for referring to the people by referendum petition a measure or item, section or part of a measure enacted by the legislature, or by the legislative body of an incorporated city, town or county:

Referendum Description

(Insert a description of no not more than one two hundred words of the

principal provisions of the measure sought to be referred.)

Notice:  This is only a description of the measure sought to be referred prepared by the sponsor of the measure.  It may not include every provision contained in the measure.  Before signing, make sure the title and text of the measure are attached.  You have the right to read or examine the title and text before signing.

Petition for Referendum

To the secretary of state (or to the corresponding officer for or on local, county, city or town measures):

We, the undersigned citizens and qualified electors of the state of Arizona, respectfully order that the senate (or house) bill No. _____ (or other local, county, city or town measure) entitled (title of act or ordinance, and if the petition is against less than the whole act or ordinance then set forth here the item, section, or part, of any measure on which the referendum is used), passed by the _________________ session of the legislature of the state of Arizona, at the general (or special, as the case may be) session of said legislature, (or by a county, city or town legislative body) shall be referred to a vote of the qualified electors of the state, (county, city or town) for their approval or rejection at the next regular general election (or county, city or town election) and each for himself says:

I have personally signed this petition with my first and last names.  I have not signed any other petition for the same measure.  I am a qualified elector of the state of Arizona, county of (or city or town and county of, as the case may be) _____________.

                                  "Warning

It is a class 1 misdemeanor for any person to knowingly sign an initiative or referendum petition with a name other than his own, except in a circumstance where he signs for a person, in the presence of and at the specific request of such person, who is incapable of signing his own name because of physical infirmity, or to knowingly sign his name more than once for the same measure, or to knowingly sign such petition when he is not a qualified elector."

Signature     Name      Actual          Arizona       City or       Date

           (first and    address      post office       town       signed

            last name   (street &       address       (if any)

             printed)   no. and if        & zip

                        no street         code                       

                        address,                                    

                        describe                                    

                       residence                                    

                       location)                                    

(Fifteen lines for signatures which shall be numbered)

The validity of signatures on this sheet must be sworn to by the circulator before a notary public on the form appearing on the back of the sheet.

                                          Number ________________

B.  Each petition sheet shall have printed on the top of each sheet the following:

"It is unlawful to sign this petition before it has a serial number."

C.  Each petition sheet shall have printed in capital letters in no not less than twelve point bold‑faced type in the upper right‑hand corner of the face of the petition sheet and below the statement prescribed in subsection B of this section the following:

"___________ paid circulator"            "______________ volunteer".

D.  A circulator of a referendum petition shall state whether he the circulator is a paid circulator or volunteer by checking the appropriate line on the petition form before circulating the petition for signatures.

E.  Signatures obtained on referendum petitions in violation of subsection D of this section are void and shall not be counted in determining the legal sufficiency of the petition.  The presence of signatures that are invalidated under this subsection on a petition does not invalidate other signatures on the petition that were obtained as prescribed by this section. END_STATUTE

Sec. 2.  Section 19-102, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE19-102.  Initiative petition; circulators

A.  The form of petition for a law or amendment to the constitution of this state or county legislative measure, or city or town ordinance, or amendment to a city or town charter proposed by the initiative to be submitted directly to the electors, shall be substantially in the form prescribed in section 19‑101, except that the title and body of such petition shall read:

    Initiative description

(Insert a description of no not more than one two hundred words of the principal provisions of the proposed measure or constitutional amendment.)

Notice:  This is only a description of the proposed measure (or constitutional amendment) prepared by the sponsor of the measure.  It may not include every provision contained in the measure.  Before signing, make sure the title and text of the measure are attached.  You have the right to read or examine the title and text before signing.

Initiative Measure to be Submitted Directly to Electors

We, the undersigned, citizens and qualified electors of the state of Arizona, respectfully demand that the following proposed law (or amendment to the constitution, or other initiative measure), shall be submitted to the qualified electors of the state of Arizona (county, city or town of ____________) for their approval or rejection at the next regular general election (or county, city or town election) and each for himself says: (terminate form same as a referendum petition.)

B.  Each petition sheet shall have printed on the top of each sheet the following:

"It is unlawful to sign this petition before it has a serial number."

C.  Each petition sheet shall have printed in capital letters in no not less than twelve point bold‑faced type in the upper right‑hand corner of the face of the petition sheet and below the statement prescribed in subsection B of this section the following:

"___________ paid circulator"        " ______________ volunteer".

D.  A circulator of an initiative petition shall state whether he the circulator is a paid circulator or volunteer by checking the appropriate line on the petition form before circulating the petition for signatures.

E.  Signatures obtained on initiative petitions in violation of subsection D of this section are void and shall not be counted in determining the legal sufficiency of the petition.  The presence of signatures that are invalidated under this subsection on a petition does not invalidate other signatures on the petition that were obtained as prescribed by this section. END_STATUTE

Sec. 3.  Section 19-111, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE19-111.  Number for petition; training materials

A.  A person or organization intending to propose a law or constitutional amendment by initiative petition or to file a referendum petition against a measure, item, section or part of a measure, before causing the petition to be printed and circulated, shall file with the secretary of state an application, on a form to be provided by the secretary of state, setting forth the person's name or, if an organization, its name and the names and titles of its officers, the person's or organization's address, the person's or organization's intention to circulate and file a petition, a description of no not more than one two hundred words of the principal provisions of the proposed law, constitutional amendment or measure and the text of the proposed law, constitutional amendment or measure to be initiated or referred in no not less than eight point type, and applying for issuance of an official serial number.  At the same time as the person or organization files its application, the person or organization shall file with the secretary of state its statement of organization.  The secretary of state shall not accept an application for initiative or referendum without an accompanying statement of organization as prescribed by this subsection.

B.  On receipt of the application, the secretary of state shall assign an official serial number to the petition, which number shall appear in the lower right‑hand corner of each side of each copy thereof, and issue that number to the applicant.  The secretary of state shall assign numbers to petitions in numerical sequence, and a record shall be maintained in the secretary of state's office of each application received and of the numbers assigned and issued to the applicant.

C.  The secretary of state shall make available to each applicant by electronic means a copy of the text of this article governing the initiative and referendum and all rules adopted by the secretary of state pursuant to this title.  The secretary of state shall make available by electronic means a copy of the text of this article governing the initiative and referendum and all rules adopted by the secretary of state pursuant to this title to the county, city and town clerks who shall similarly furnish a copy to each applicant by electronic means.  If a member of the public so requests, the secretary of state and the county, city and town clerks shall provide a copy in pamphlet form.

D.  The secretary of state shall make available to each person or organization circulating a statewide initiative, referendum or recall petition a copy of circulator training materials created by the secretary of state.  Circulator training materials may be provided on paper or in electronic format and shall also be available on the secretary of state's website.  A person or organization circulating a statewide petition shall provide each circulator with the secretary of state's circulator training materials and shall collect and submit to the secretary of state each of its circulators' training materials receipts before the filing of completed petitions.  Each person who is a statewide circulator shall acknowledge in writing receipt of the training materials before circulating a petition for signatures.  Failure to provide circulator training materials or failure to submit circulators' training materials receipts is not grounds for removal of signatures or signature sheets. Notwithstanding section 19‑141, this subsection does not apply to initiative, referendum or recall petitions for cities, towns and counties.

E.  The eight point type required by subsection A of this section shall not apply to maps, charts or other graphics. END_STATUTE