new political parties; party name

SB1609 - 572R - I Ver

REFERENCE TITLE:
new political parties; party name

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SB 1609

Introduced by

Senator
Shope

AN
ACT

amending sections 16-462, 16-502,
16-801 and 16-802, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to political parties.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

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

Section 1. Section 16-462, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
16-462.

Form of paper ballot

The ballots for a primary election shall be printed with a
different color designation for each political party that is included on the
ballot. Unless otherwise provided by law, the ballot shall be printed,
"official ballot of the __________ party, primary election (date),
___________ precinct, county (or city or town) of __________, state of
Arizona".�
The name used to identify each political party
on the primary ballot shall be prescribed by sections 16-801 and 16-802.�
Below
the heading shall be placed the title of each office to be voted for, and an
instruction to the voter as to how many are to be voted for for the particular
office, thus: "vote for not more than __________" (insert the number
to be elected), under which shall be placed alphabetically and alternated, as
provided by law, the names of all the party's candidates to be voted for in
each precinct of the county or precinct or ward of the city or town for whom
nomination papers have been filed for such office, leaving as many blank lines
as there are offices under that title to be filled, followed by a place for the
voter to make a mark to indicate the voter's choice either to the right or the
left of the candidate's name, and of the blank line.� Double or more columns
may be arranged on the ballot.� In other respects the ballot shall conform as
nearly as possible to the ballot prescribed for general elections.
END_STATUTE

Sec. 2. Section 16-502, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
16-502.

Form and contents of ballot

A. Ballots shall be printed with black ink on white
paper of sufficient thickness to prevent the printing thereon from being
discernible from the back, and the same type shall be used for the names of all
candidates.� The ballots shall be headed "official ballot" in bold-faced
plain letters, with a heavy rule above and below the heading.� Immediately
below shall be placed the words "type of election, (date of
election)" and the name of the county and state in which the election is
held.� The name or number of the precinct in which the election is held shall
be placed on the ballot in a uniform location for all ballots.� No other matter
shall be placed or printed at the head of any ballot. Instructions to the voter
on marking the ballot may be printed below the heading as follows:

1. Put a mark according to the instructions next
to the name of each candidate for each office for whom you wish to vote.

2. If you wish to vote for a person whose name is
not printed on the ballot, write such name in the blank space provided on the
ballot and put a mark according to the instructions next to the name so
written.

3. Put a mark according to the instructions next
to the word "yes" or "for" for each proposition or question
you wish to be adopted.� Put a mark according to the instructions next to the
word "no" or "against" for each proposition or question you
wish not to be adopted.

B. Immediately below the ballot instructions shall
be placed the following:

Section One

Partisan Ballot

C. Immediately below the heading for section one
there shall be placed in columns the names of the candidates of the several
political parties. Next to each candidate's name there shall be
printed in bold-faced letters the name of the political party
, which shall be prescribed by sections 16-801 and 16-802
.� At
the head of each column shall be printed the names of the offices to be filled
with the name of each office being of uniform type size.� At the head of each
column shall be printed in the following order the names of candidates for:

1. Presidential electors, which shall be in a list
and next to the list shall be printed in bold type the surname of the
presidential candidate, and the surname of the vice presidential candidate who
is seeking election jointly with the presidential candidate shall be listed
directly below the name of the presidential candidate. The indicator
for the selection of the presidential and vice presidential candidates shall be
directly next to the surname of the presidential candidate, and one mark
directly next to a presidential candidate's surname shall be counted as a vote
for each elector in the list next to the presidential and vice presidential
candidates.

2. United States senator.

3. Representatives in Congress.

4. The several state offices.

5. The several county and precinct offices.

D. The names of candidates for the offices of state
senator and state representative along with the district number shall be placed
within the heading of each column to the right of the office name for state
offices and immediately below the candidates for the office of governor.� The
number of the supervisorial district of which a candidate is a nominee shall be
printed within the heading of each column to the right of the name of the
office.

E. The lists of the candidates of the several
parties shall be arranged with the names of the parties in descending order
according to the votes cast for governor for that county in the most recent
general election for the office of governor, commencing with the left-hand
column.� In the case of political parties that did not have candidates on the
ballot in the last general election, such parties shall be listed in
alphabetical order below the parties that did have candidates on the ballot in
the last general election. The names of all candidates nominated
under section 16-341 shall be placed in a single column below that of the
recognized parties.� Next to the name of each candidate, in parentheses, shall
be printed a three-letter abbreviation that is taken from the three words
prescribed in the candidate's certificate of nomination.

F. Immediately below the designation of the office
to be voted for shall appear the words: "Vote for not more than
_________" (insert the number to be elected).

G. In each column at the right or left of the name
of each candidate and on the same line there shall be a place for the voter to
put a mark.� Below the name of the last named candidate for each office there
shall be as many blank lines as there are offices of the same title to be
filled, with a place for the voter to put a mark.� On the blank line the voter
may write the name of any person for whom the voter desires to vote whose name
is not printed, and next to the name so written the voter shall designate his
choice by a mark as in the case of printed names.

H. When there are two or more candidates of the same
political party for the same office, or more than one candidate for a judicial
office, the names of all such candidates shall be so alternated on the ballots
used in each election district that the name of each candidate shall appear
substantially an equal number of times in each possible location.� If there are
fewer or the same number of candidates seeking office than the number to be
elected, the rotation of names is not required and the names shall be placed in
alphabetical order.

I. Immediately below section one of the ballot shall
be placed the following:

Section Two

Nonpartisan Ballot

J. Immediately below the heading for section two
shall be placed the names of the candidates for justices of the supreme court,
judges of the court of appeals, judges of the superior court standing for
retention or rejection pursuant to article VI, section 38, Constitution of
Arizona, judges of the superior court standing for election pursuant to article
VI, section 12, Constitution of Arizona, school district officials and other
nonpartisan officials in a column or in columns without partisan or other
designation except the title of office in an order determined by the officer in
charge of the election.

K. Immediately below the offices listed in
subsection J of this section, the ballot shall contain a separate heading of
any nonpartisan office for a vacant unexpired term and shall include the
expiration date of the term of the vacated office.

L. All proposed constitutional amendments and other
propositions or questions to be submitted to the voters shall be printed
immediately below the names of candidates for nonpartisan positions in such
order as the secretary of state, or if a city or town election, the city or
town clerk, designates. Placement of county and local charter
amendments, propositions or questions shall be determined by the officer in
charge of the election.� Except as provided by section 19-125, each
proposition or question shall be followed by the words "yes" and
"no" or "for ______" and "against ______" as the
nature of the proposition or question requires, and at the right or left of and
next to each of such words shall be a place for the voter to put a mark
according to the instructions that is similar in size to those places appearing
opposite the names of the candidates, in which the voter may indicate his vote
for or against such proposition or question by a mark as defined in section 16-400.

M. Instead of printing the official and descriptive
titles or the full text of each measure or question on the official ballot, the
officer in charge of elections may print phrases on the official ballot that
contain all of the following:

1. The number of the measure in reverse type and at
least twelve point type.

2. The designation of the measure as prescribed by
section 19-125, subsection C or as a question, proposition or charter
amendment, followed by the words "relating to..." and inserting the
subject.

3. Either the statement prescribed by section 19-125,
subsection D that describes the effects of a "yes" vote and a
"no" vote or, for other measures, the text of the question or
proposition.

4. The words "yes" and "no" or
"for" and "against", as may be appropriate and a place for
the voter to put a mark.

N. For any ballot printed pursuant to subsection M
of this section, the instructions on the official ballot shall direct the voter
to the full text of the official and descriptive titles and the questions and
propositions as printed on the sample ballot and posted in the polling place.
END_STATUTE

Sec. 3. Section 16-801, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
16-801.

Representation of new party on ballot at primary and general
elections

A. A new political party may become eligible for
recognition and shall be represented by an official party ballot at the next
ensuing regular primary election and accorded a column on the official ballot
at the succeeding general election on filing with the secretary of state a
petition signed by a number of qualified electors equal to not less than one
and one-third
per cent
percent

of the total votes cast for governor at the last preceding general election at
which a governor was elected.� From this number, at least five different
counties shall be included as the county of registration among the required
total of qualified electors and at least ten
per cent
percent
of the required total of qualified electors shall be
registered in counties with populations of less than five hundred thousand
persons. The petition shall:

1. Be verified by the affidavit of ten qualified
electors of the state, asking that the signers thereof be recognized as a new
political party. The status as qualified electors of the signers of
the affidavit shall be certified by the county recorder of the county in which
they reside.

2. Be in substantially the form prescribed by
section 16-315.

3. Be captioned "petition for political party
recognition".

4. Include the proposed political
party name, which shall be distinguishable from the name of all existing
recognized political parties in this state and which may not contain the word
or phrase "unaffiliated", "party not designated", "no
party", "no preference", "independent" or
"decline to state" or any variation of those words or phrases.

B. Notwithstanding any other law, on recognition as
a political party that is represented by an official party ballot at the
primary election and accorded a ballot column at the succeeding general
election, a new political party is entitled to representation as a political
party on the official ballot through the next two regularly scheduled general
elections for federal office immediately following recognition of the political
party.� After these two regularly scheduled general elections for federal office,
the political party is ineligible for further representation on the ballot
unless it qualifies for continued representation on the ballot as prescribed in
section 16-804 or it files a new petition for recognition as a new
political party pursuant to this section and section 16-803.

C. For all election administration
purposes, the secretary of state and all other election officials shall
recognize a political party by the name listed on the petition for political
party recognition unless the political party subsequently files a legally
sufficient new petition for political party recognition pursuant to this
section or section 16-802.
END_STATUTE

Sec. 4. Section 16-802, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
16-802.

Representation of new party on ballot for county or municipal
election

A new political party shall become eligible for recognition,
shall be represented by an official party ballot at the next ensuing primary
election of a county, city or town and shall be placed on the official ballot
at the succeeding regular election on filing with the officer in charge of
elections of the county or the city or town clerk, as the case may be, a
petition
that is
signed by a number of qualified electors
equal to not less than two percent of the votes cast for county attorney in the
case of a county petition or for mayor in the case of a city or town petition
and that otherwise complies with section 16-801
. The
county recorder or the city or town clerk, as applicable, shall review the
petitions in the same manner prescribed by section 16-803, including the
selection of a random sample of twenty percent of the total signatures eligible
for verification, which shall be individually verified and certified, and shall
perform a calculation and projection of the total number of valid signatures
and make a determination whether the party shall be recognized as prescribed by
section 16-803, subsection I.
END_STATUTE

Sec. 5.
Intent and purpose

The legislature intends by this act to
reduce voter confusion, prevent erroneous political party affiliation and
support the orderly administration of elections.

Sec. 6.
Retroactivity; notice; compliance

A. This act applies
retroactively to from and after December 31, 2024. Within five days
after the effective date of this act, the secretary of state shall provide
notice of this act to all political parties that are recognized pursuant to
section 16-801 or 16-802, Arizona Revised Statutes, as amended by this act.�

B. Any political party that
is not in compliance with this act shall come into compliance within ten days
after the effective date of this act.

Sec. 7.
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.