Arizona Secretary of State
From Ballotpedia
The Secretary of State has a rather expansive list of duties in Arizona ranging from moderating Administrative Rules to serving as the Chief Election Officer. Arizona's role of Secretary of State is also unique as it serves at Acting Governor when the Governor is absent or otherwise unable to serve.
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Overview
The Arizona Secretary of State has jurisdiction over state election laws, ensuring uniform implementation throughout the state. The Secretary of State also qualifies statewide and state district candidates and ballot initiatives.
Any member of the public may propose a ballot issue in Arizona. There are certain steps that must be followed in order to get the issue on the ballot, and these steps are regulated by the Secretary of State. The process that a citizen must follow is examined in detail here: Arizona Initiative Law.
Proponents must file their application with Secretary of State with the full text of the ballot attached and file their Statement of Organization (which must be done in accordence with the states campaign finance law). The Secretary will file the application and assign it a serial number. After this the petition can begin circulation.
When enough signatures are collected
When the ballot is turned in to the Secretary of State, the signatures are verified. This will take about 30 days. Only when this process is completed will the Secretary of State set the ballot title and summary. The ballot is then reviewed by the Attorney General to check the legality of the ballot.
- Currently, there is no recourse if the proponents of the ballot do not agree with the Secretary of State's new language other than a lawsuit.
Within the next 60 days citizens can submit pro/con arguments for the ballot with the Secretary of State. This is the when the Legislative Counsel shall prepare and file an impartial analysis of the provisions of the the ballot and a measure shall be written in clear and concise language, avoiding technical terms wherever possible. The measure may include:
- existing law
- any legislative enactment suspended by the referendum if its approved/rejected
- background information
Getting the information to the public
One of the methods used by the Secretary of State to disseminate information is the Voter Guides. These analyzes and arguments will be included in the voter guides. This pamphlet is mailed by the Secretary of State to the county election officials, who in turn mail it to all households with a registered voter. It is also possible to contact the Secretary of State's office directly to obtain the VIP in alternate formats (Braille, large print, electronically, etc.).
The Secretary of State will then hold 3 meetings in different counties to provide an opportunity for the general public to provide testimony and request information about the ballot measure.
Divisions
The Secretary of State is divided into seven divisions. These are:
- Business Filings
- Notary
- Advance Directives
- Publications
- Rules Filings
- Legislative Filings
- Elections
The role of the Chief Election officer include:
- Serves as Chief Election Officer for the State and certifies candidates and measures (initiative and referendum) to the ballot and certifies election results.
- Transmits and certifies the results of statewide elections.
- Prepares, witnesses the signing of, and files with the President of the Senate and National Archives and Records Administration, the Presidential and Vice Presidential Elector Ballot Certificate of Vote.
- Files abstracts of votes for multi-county election districts.
- Serves as Registration Officer for Lobbyists and registers and files expenditure reports made by principals, public bodies, and lobbyists.
- Accepts and files campaign finance reports.
- Tests and certifies voting devices used by the counties
- Trains and certifies county election officials.
Contact Information
Capitol Executive Tower
7th Floor
1700 West Washington Street
Phoenix, AZ 85007-2888
See Also:
Jan Brewer, Arizona Secretary of State
References
Arizona Secretary of State website
