Bill Text: AZ SB1309 | 2015 | Fifty-second Legislature 1st Regular | Engrossed
Bill Title: Party organization; precinct committeemen; meetings
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 4-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-03-05 - Senate Committee of the Whole action: Do Pass Amended [SB1309 Detail]
Download: Arizona-2015-SB1309-Engrossed.html
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Senate Engrossed |
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State of Arizona Senate Fifty-second Legislature First Regular Session 2015
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SENATE BILL 1309 |
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AN ACT
AMENDING sections 16-822, 16-823, 16-824, 16-826 and 16-828, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to political party organization and government.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Section 16-822, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
16-822. Precinct committeemen; eligibility; vacancy; duties
A. Any member of a recognized political party who is a registered voter in the precinct is eligible to seek the office of precinct committeeman of his party in that precinct.
B. If the number of persons who file nominating petitions for an election to fill precinct committeeman positions is less than or equal to the number of precinct committeeman positions, the county board of supervisors may cancel the election for those positions not sooner than seventy‑five days before the election and appoint the person who filed the nominating petition to fill the position. If no person has filed a nominating petition to fill a position, the position is deemed vacant and shall be filled as otherwise provided by law. A precinct committeeman who is appointed pursuant to this subsection after filing a nominating petition shall be deemed and elected precinct committeeman.
C. If the number of persons who file nominating petitions for an election to fill precinct committeeman positions is more than the number of precinct committeeman positions for a recognized political party in a precinct, a separate ballot shall be prepared for the election of precinct committeemen for the political party in that precinct. The ballot shall conform as nearly as practicable to ballot requirements in this title, and to the official ballot prepared for that party in the primary election, but shall be designated as the "official ballot for electing precinct committeemen of the __________ party, primary election (date), __________ precinct, __________ county, state of Arizona." Only persons who are registered as members of that political party in that precinct may vote that precinct committeeman ballot. The election board or official shall provide the partisan precinct committeeman ballot to voters who are registered with that party in addition to the official ballot prepared for that party in the primary election.
D. In addition to other provisions of law regarding removal from office, a vacancy shall exist in the office of precinct committeeman when the precinct committeeman moves from the precinct from which elected or changes his political party from the party in which he was elected.
E. The minimum duties of a precinct committeeman shall be to assist his political party in voter registration and to assist the voters of his political party to vote on election days. Additional duties shall be as provided for in the state committee bylaws of the party of which he is a member.
F. The term of office of a precinct committeeman begins on the date on which the official county canvass of the election is entered into the record as prescribed by section 16-646 for the election at which the precinct committeeman was elected. The term of office continues until the next immediately following official county canvass of election is entered into the record for that office of precinct committeeman.
Sec. 2. Section 16-823, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
16-823. Legislative district committee; organization; boundary change; reorganization
A. A political party entitled, pursuant to section 16‑801 or 16‑804, to representation on the ballot may establish a district party committee for any legislative district as prescribed by law.
B. A district party committee established pursuant to subsection A of this section shall consist of the precinct committeemen residing in the district and elected pursuant to section 16‑821.
C. Each district party committee established pursuant to subsection A of this section shall meet no earlier than the second Saturday after the general election provided for in section 16‑211 and no later than the first Saturday in the following December and organize by electing from its membership a chairman, two vice‑chairmen, a secretary and a treasurer. The latter two offices may be filled by the same person. The chairman of the district committee is ex officio a member of the county committee of the county in which a plurality of the district's registered voters resides.
D. Each district party committee established pursuant to subsection A of this section shall meet after the effective date of reapportionment legislation that realigns or changes legislative district boundaries and organize according to the new boundaries, electing from its membership a chairman, two vice‑chairmen, a secretary and a treasurer. The latter two offices may be filled by the same person. The chairman of the district committee is ex officio a member of the county committee of the county in which a plurality of the district's registered voters resides. The effective date for reapportionment legislation as provided in this subsection shall be as provided in article IV, part 1, section 1, Constitution of Arizona.
E. In the event the reapportionment legislation is challenged in court or by the United States justice department, the district organizations in effect before the passage of the reapportionment legislation shall continue to function along with the new district organizations created in accordance with subsection D of this section until the final settlement or adjudication of any legal challenge to the reapportionment legislation. Upon On the final settlement or adjudication of any legal challenge to the reapportionment legislation the district organizations in effect before the enactment of the reapportionment legislation are considered dissolved.
F. If the boundaries of any district are changed as a result of legal action, each district party committee in that district shall meet as soon as possible and organize according to the boundaries that result from the legal action. Upon On organization pursuant to this subsection all prior district organizations are dissolved.
G. For the purposes of the election prescribed in subsection D of this section the district committee shall consist of all precinct committeemen residing in the district who were serving in such that position at least thirty days prior to before the enactment of reapportionment legislation.
H. All meetings of a district committee shall be open to registered members of the political party that is holding the meeting.
Sec. 3. Section 16-824, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
16-824. Meeting, organization and officers of county committee
A. The county committee shall meet for the purpose of organizing no earlier than ten days after the last organizing meeting of the legislative districts which that are part of the county, and in any event no later than the second Saturday in January of the year following a general election. The county committee shall elect from its membership a chairman, a first vice‑chairman, a second vice‑chairman, a secretary and a treasurer. The latter two offices may be filled by the same person. The chairman of the county committee shall be ex officio a member of the state committee.
B. The chairman of the county committee shall give notice of the time and place of such meeting by mail to each precinct committeeman at least ten days prior to before the date of such the meeting.
C. All meetings of a county committee shall be open to registered members of the political party that is holding the meeting.
Sec. 4. Section 16-826, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
16-826. Meeting, organization and officers of state committee
A. The state committee shall meet no earlier than ten days after the last county meeting of the party and in any event no later than the fourth Saturday in January following a general election and organize by electing from its membership a chairman, a secretary and a treasurer.
B. The chairman of the state committee shall cause notice of the time and place of the meeting to be mailed to each state committeeman at least ten days before the date of the meeting.
C. All meetings of a state committee shall be open to registered members of the political party that is holding the meeting.
Sec. 5. Section 16-828, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
16-828. Proxies
A. A political party may choose, through its bylaws, to allow the use of proxies at its meetings, in which event the following shall be minimum regulations to which all of the following apply:
1. No proxy shall be given by a member of the state committee for use at a meeting of the state committee except to a qualified elector of the county of the county where the member resides member of the same political party as the member of the state committee. A person may not carry more than ten proxies from members of the state committee to a meeting of the state committee.
2. No proxy shall be given by a member of the county committee for use at a meeting of the county committee except to a person who is a qualified elector of the precinct where the member resides and who is a member of the same political party as the member of the county committee. A person may not carry more than four proxies from members of the county committee to a meeting of the county committee.
3. No proxy shall be given by a member of a legislative district committee for use at a meeting of the legislative district committee except to a person who is a qualified elector of the precinct where the member resides and WHO Is a member of the same political party as the member of the district committee. A person may not carry more than four proxies from members of the legislative district committee to a meeting of the legislative district committee.
4. Any proxy that is used for an election at a state, county or district meeting is a public document and shall be retained for thirty days and made available for review by any person. On request of any person after the election, the political party shall provide a photocopy of the proxy and may charge a fee of five cents for each page of photocopying.
B. The duration of any proxy so given shall extend only for the length of the meeting for which it is given.
C. Every proxy shall be attested by a notary public or two witnesses.
