competitive sealed bidding; questions; answers

Plain English Breakdown

The bill specifies that section 19-144 will be repealed from and after July 31, 2027, not August 1, 2027 as stated in the candidate explanation.

Municipalities; Referendum Petitions; Withdrawal

HB2873 allows people or organizations that file referendum petitions with city or town clerks to withdraw those petitions before they qualify for the ballot and prohibits counting votes if a withdrawal notice is filed.

What This Bill Does

• Allows a person or organization to withdraw a referendum petition from a city or town clerk at any time before it qualifies for the ballot.
• Applies this rule retroactively to all written notices of withdrawals that were filed with a city or town clerk starting December 31, 2025.
• Prohibits counting votes for referendums if a withdrawal notice is filed after December 31, 2025.

Who It Names or Affects

• People or organizations that file referendum petitions with city or town clerks.
• City and town clerks who handle these petitions.
• Voters in cities and towns where referendums are proposed.

Terms To Know

Referendum petition

A document that asks voters to decide on a law or decision made by the city or town government.

Withdrawal notice

A written statement asking to cancel a referendum petition before it goes to a vote.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if a withdrawal is filed after the ballot has been printed.
• It's unclear how this will affect past referendums where withdrawals were already rejected or accepted by city or town clerks.

Official Summary Text

HB2873 - 572R - Senate Fact Sheet

Assigned to
RAGE������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� AS
PASSED BY ADD COW

ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Fifty-Seventh
Legislature, Second Regular Session

AMENDED

FACT SHEET FOR
H.B. 2873

competitive
sealed bidding; questions; answers

(
NOW:
municipalities;
referendum petitions; withdrawal
)

Purpose

An emergency
measure that authorizes a person or organization that files a referendum
petition with a city or town to file a written notice of withdrawal of the
referendum petition before the measure qualifies for the ballot.

Background

The Arizona
Constitution grants qualified electors the power of the referendum to approve
or reject at the polls all matters on which a city or town is empowered by
general laws to legislate.

10 percent of the electors may propose
the referendum on legislation enacted within and by such city or town (
Ariz.
Const. art. 4, pt. 1 � 1
).

A referendum petition
must be filed with the city or town clerk within 30 days after passage of an ordinance,
resolution or franchise. The whole number of votes cast at the citywide or
townwide election at which a mayor or councilperson were chosen last preceding
the submission of the application for a referendum petition against an
ordinance, franchise or resolution must be the basis on which the number of
electors of the city or town required to file a referendum petition is to be
computed. Within 72 hours, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays, the
final number of valid referendum signatures must be tabulated based on the
certification of the five percent random sampling completed by the county recorder�s
office. If a sufficient number of valid signatures are filed, the referendum will
be placed on the ballot in the manner provided by law (A.R.S. ��
19-121.04

and
19-142
).

There is no
anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this
legislation.

Provisions

1.

Allows a person or organization that files a referendum petition with a
city or town clerk to withdraw the referendum petition by filing a written
notice of withdrawal with the city or town clerk at any time before the measure
has qualified for the ballot.

2.

Applies the notice of withdrawal authorization retroactively to all
written notices of withdrawals that are filed with a city or town clerk
beginning January 1, 2026, regardless of whether the withdrawal was accepted or
rejected.

3.

Prohibits votes for any city or town referendum for which a written
notice of withdrawal has been filed beginning January 1, 2026, from being
tallied or canvassed.

4.

Repeals
the referendum petition withdrawal procedures on August 1, 2027.

5.

Become effective on signature of the Governor, if the emergency clause
is enacted.

Amendments Adopted by
Committee

�

Adopted the strike-everything amendment.

Amendments Adopted by
Committee of the Whole

�

Adds an emergency clause.

Amendments Adopted by Additional Committee of the Whole

1.

Repeals
the referendum petition withdrawal procedures on August 1, 2027.

2.

Makes
conforming changes.

Senate Action

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Prepared by Senate Research

April 20, 2026

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Current Bill Text

HB2873 - 572R - S Ver

Senate Engrossed
House Bill

competitive
sealed bidding; questions; answers

(now:� municipalities;
referendum petitions; withdrawal)

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

HOUSE BILL 2873

AN
ACT

Amending title 19, chapter 1, article 4,
Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 19-144; repealing section 19-144,
Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to
local government referendum petitions
.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

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

Section 1. Title 19, chapter 1, article 4,
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 19-144, to read:

START_STATUTE
19-144.

Referendum petitions; cities and towns; notice of withdrawal

Notwithstanding any other law, a person or
organization that files a referendum petition with a city or town clerk may
withdraw the referendum petition by filing a written notice of withdrawal with
the city or town clerk at any time before the measure has qualified for the
ballot pursuant to section 19-121.04.
END_STATUTE

Sec. 2.
Delayed repeal

Section 19-144, Arizona Revised
Statutes, as added by this act, is repealed from and after July 31, 2027.

Sec. 3.
Retroactivity; vote tally and canvass;
prohibition

This act applies retroactively to all
written notices of withdrawal that are filed with a city or town clerk from and
after December 31, 2025 regardless of whether the withdrawal was accepted or
rejected. Votes for any city or town referendum for which a written notice of
withdrawal has been filed from and after December 31, 2025 may not be tallied
or canvassed.

Sec. 4.
Emergency

This act is an emergency measure that
is necessary to preserve the public peace, health or safety and is operative
immediately as provided by law.