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REFERENCE TITLE: electronic signatures; nomination petitions |
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State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-seventh Legislature Second Regular Session 2026
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HB 2805 |
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Introduced by Representative Gillette
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AN ACT
amending title 16, chapter 3, ARTICLE 2, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding sections 16-319.01 and 16-319.02; relating to nominating procedures.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Title 16, chapter 3, article 2, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding sections 16-319.01 and 16-319.02, to read:
16-319.01. Secure online signature collection; districts; applicability
A. Notwithstanding any other statute in this title, the secretary of state shall 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 any of the following:
1. school district or career technical education district.
2. Community college district.
3. hospital district.
4. multi-county water conservation district.
B. The online signature collection system shall allow only those qualified electors who are eligible to sign a petition for a particular candidate to sign the petition, shall provide a method for the qualified elector's identity to be properly verified and shall provide for the secretary of state to transmit those filings or a facsimile of those filings to the officer in charge of elections for the appropriate office. A candidate prescribed by this section may choose to collect all of the candidate's nomination petition signatures by use of the online signature collection system prescribed by this section.
C. This section applies only to candidates for the offices PRESCRIBED by this section.
16-319.02. Secure online signature collection; offices; equal access; application
A. A candidate seeking office in an election prescribed by section 16-316, 16-317, 16-318 or 16-319.01 is deemed a political party candidate without regard to whether the candidate is nominated by a recognized political party, is registered as an independent or unaffiliated or is otherwise designated.
B. All candidates for elections PRESCRIBED in subsection A of this section shall be afforded equal access to the secure internet portal ESTABLISHED and maintained by the secretary of state 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 section 16-311 for candidates for county, city, town or school board office.
C. The secretary of state may not deny, limit, condition, delay, or otherwise restrict 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.
D. THE SECRETARY OF STATE:
1. SHALL apply Any rule, policy or procedure uniformly TO ALL CANDIDATES who are SUBJECT TO THIS SECTION AND MAY NOT take any action that results in DISPARATE TREATMENT AMONG CANDIDATES for the same office.
2. May not adopt or enforce any rule or policy that conflicts with this section or that narrows the application of this section.