ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

57th Legislature, 2nd Regular Session

Majority Research Staff

House: FMAE DPA 5-2-0-0

HB 2805: electronic signatures; nomination petitions

Sponsor: Representative Gillette, LD 30

Caucus & COW

Overview

Provides a secure online system for qualified electors to sign nomination petitions for candidates of local governing boards and requires that all non-judicial candidates be classified as a political party candidate for the purposes of the online signature collection system.

History

Statute requires the Secretary of State (SOS) to provide a system for qualified electors to sign a nomination petition and to sign and submit a Citizens Clean Elections $5 contribution qualification for a statewide and legislative office candidate by way of secure internet portal (A.R.S. § 16-316).

Statute also requires the SOS to provide a system for qualified electors to sign nomination petitions for candidates for city or town office, county office, justice of the peace, constable and the office of the precinct committeemen by way of a secure internet portal. The SOS must provide a secure internet portal for nomination petitions for candidates for the office of United States Senator or Representative in Congress (A.R.S. §§ 16-317, 16-318).

Provisions

1. Directs the SOS to provide a system for qualified electors to sign by way of a secure internet portal a nomination petition for candidates for the governing board of the following:

a. a school district or career technical education district;

b. a community college district;

c. a hospital district; and

d. a multi-county water conservation district. (Sec. 1)

2. Specifies that the online signature collection system must:

a. allow only qualified electors who are eligible to sign a petition for a particular candidate to sign the petition;

b. provide a method for qualified electors' identities to be properly verified; and

c. provide for the SOS to transmit those filings or a facsimile of those filings to the officer in charge of elections for the appropriate office. (Sec. 1)

3. Allows such governing board candidates to collect all of their nomination petition signatures by use of the outlined online signature collection system. (Sec. 1)

4. Classifies a candidate seeking an office or position other than a judicial office or the office of clerk of a superior court as a political party candidate for the purposes of the online signature collection system without regard to whether the candidate is:

a. nominated by a recognized political party;

b. is registered as an independent or unaffiliated; or

c. is otherwise designated. (Sec. 1)

5. States that all candidates seeking a non-judicial office must be afforded equal access to the SOS's secure internet portal for purposes of collecting electronic signatures for candidate petitions, including equal access for any candidate who submits petition signatures electronically to the filing officer prescribed by statement of interest statute for candidates for county, city, town or school board office. (Sec. 1)

6. Prohibits the SOS from denying, limiting, conditioning, delaying or otherwise restricting access to the online signature collection system based on a candidate's political party affiliation, lack of political party affiliation, method of nomination or ballot designation. (Sec. 1)

7. States that the SOS:

a. must apply any rule, policy or procedure uniformly to all non-judicial candidates;

b. may not take any action that results in disparate treatment among candidates for the same office; and

c. may not adopt or enforce any rule or policy that conflicts with the act or that narrows the act's application. (Sec. 1)

Amendments

Committee on Federalism, Military Affairs & Elections

1. Clarifies that before non-judicial candidates are eligible to use the SOS's secure internet portal, candidates must designate through the portal, only for the purposes of the portal, an alignment with a recognized political party or whether they are independent or unaffiliated.

2. States that the SOS shall not, rather than may not modify the provisions of the act through the adoption of any rule or procedure that interprets, expands or limits the act.

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6. Initials GG/AW HB 2805

7. 2/12/2026 Page 0 Caucus & COW

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