Title 16 — Elections and Electors

(Caution: 1998 Prop. 105 applies) A. The people of Arizona declare our intent to create a clean elections system that will improve the integrity of Arizona state government by diminishing the influence of special-interest money, will encourage citizen participation in the politic…

(Caution: 1998 Prop 105 applies) A. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, a participating candidate: 1. Shall not accept any contributions, other than a limited number of five-dollar qualifying contributions as specified in section 16-946 and early contributions as specified i…

(Caution: 1998 Prop. 105 applies) A. The civil penalty for a violation of any contribution or expenditure limit in section 16-941 by or on behalf of a participating candidate shall be ten times the amount by which the expenditures or contributions exceed the applicable limit. B. …

(Caution: 1998 Prop. 105 applies) A. A candidate, or any other person acting on behalf of a candidate, who knowingly violates section 16-941 is guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor. B. Any person who knowingly pays any thing of value or any compensation for a qualifying contribution a…

(Caution: 1998 Prop 105 applies) A. A participating candidate may accept early contributions only from individuals and only during the exploratory period and the qualifying period, subject to the following limitations: 1. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, no contributor sh…

(Caution: 1998 Prop 105 applies) A. During the qualifying period, a participating candidate may collect qualifying contributions, which shall be paid to the fund. B. To qualify as a qualifying contribution, a contribution must be: 1. Made by a qualified elector as defined in sect…

(Caution: 1998 Prop 105 applies) A. A candidate who wishes to be certified as a participating candidate shall file, before the end of the qualifying period, an application with the secretary of state, in a form specified by the citizens clean elections commission. B. The applicat…

(Caution: 1998 Prop. 105 applies) A. A participating candidate shall conduct all financial activity through a single campaign account of the candidate's campaign committee. A participating candidate shall not make any deposits into the campaign account other than those permitted …

(Caution: 1998 Prop 105 applies) A. The commission shall not spend, on all costs incurred under this article during a particular calendar year, more than five dollars times the number of Arizona resident personal income tax returns filed during the previous calendar year. The com…

(Caution: 1998 Prop 105 applies) A. A candidate who has made an application for certification may also apply, in accordance with subsection B of this section, to receive funds from the citizens clean elections fund, instead of receiving private contributions. B. To receive any cl…

(Caution: 1998 Prop 105 applies) A. At the beginning of the primary election period, the commission shall pay from the fund to the campaign account of each candidate who qualifies for clean elections funding: 1. For a candidate who qualifies for clean elections funding for a part…

(Caution: 1998 Prop 105 applies) Upon applying for clean elections funding pursuant to section 16-950, a participating candidate for the legislature in a one-party-dominant legislative district who is qualified for clean elections funding for the party primary election of the dom…

(Caution: 1998 Prop. 105 applies) A. At the end of the primary election period, a participating candidate who has received monies pursuant to section 16-951, subsection A, paragraph 1 shall return to the fund all monies in the candidate’s campaign account above an amount sufficie…

(Caution: 1998 Prop 105 applies) A. Beginning January 1, 1999, an additional surcharge of ten per cent shall be imposed on all civil and criminal fines and penalties collected pursuant to section 12-116.01 and shall be deposited into the fund. B. At least once per year, the commi…

(Caution: 1998 Prop. 105 applies) A. The citizens clean elections commission is established consisting of five members. No more than two members of the commission shall be members of the same political party. No more than two members of the commission shall be residents of the sa…

(Caution: 1998 Prop 105 applies) A. The commission shall: 1. Develop a procedure for publishing a document or section of a document having a space of predefined size for a message chosen by each candidate. For the document that is delivered before the primary election, the docume…

(Caution: 1998 Prop. 105 applies) A. If the commission finds that there is reason to believe that a person has violated any provision of this article, the commission shall serve on that person an order stating with reasonable particularity the nature of the violation and requirin…

(Caution: 1998 Prop 105 applies) A. Any person who has previously reached the dollar amount specified in section 16-941, subsection D for filing an original report shall file a supplemental report each time previously unreported independent expenditures specified by that subsecti…

(Caution: 1998 Prop 105 applies) A. Every two years, the secretary of state shall modify the dollar values specified in the following parts of this article, in the manner specified by section 16-905, subsection H, to account for inflation: section 16-941, subsection A, paragraph …

(Caution: 1998 Prop. 105 applies) If a provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of the act that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to …

(Caution: 1998 Prop 105 applies) A. The terms "candidate's campaign committee," "contribution," "expenditures," "exploratory committee," "independent expenditure," "personal monies," "political committee" and "statewide office" are defined in section 16-901. B. 1. "Election cycle…

The provisions of this title defining crimes involving elections and crimes against the elective franchise, and prescribing penalties therefor, apply to any general, primary or special election or to any election called by a board of supervisors for any purpose for which the boar…

A person who counterfeits a ballot, or who circulates or gives to another a counterfeit ballot, knowing at the time that the ballot has not been issued pursuant to the election laws of the state, is guilty of a class 5 felony.

A person who knowingly forges or falsely makes the official endorsement of a ballot, knowingly destroys or defaces a ballot, or knowingly delays the delivery of a ballot, is guilty of a class 3 misdemeanor.

A. A person who at any election knowingly interferes in any manner with an officer of such election in the discharge of the officer's duty, or who induces an officer of an election or officer whose duty it is to ascertain, announce or declare the result of such election, to viola…

A. Any person who knowingly marks a voted or unvoted ballot or ballot envelope with the intent to fix an election for that person's own benefit or for that of another person is guilty of a class 5 felony. B. It is unlawful to offer or provide any consideration to acquire a voted …

A. It is unlawful for a person knowingly by force, threats, menaces, bribery or any corrupt means, either directly or indirectly: 1. To attempt to influence an elector in casting his vote or to deter him from casting his vote. 2. To attempt to awe, restrain, hinder or disturb an …

An officer of an election, unless lawfully assisting a voter, is guilty of a class 2 misdemeanor, who knowingly: 1. Previous to the closing of the polls, attempts to find out for whom the elector has voted. 2. Opens or permits the folded ballot of an elector which has been delive…

An officer of an election who, while acting as such, knowingly induces an elector, either by menace, reward or promise thereof, to vote differently than the elector intended or desired to vote, is guilty of a class 2 misdemeanor.

A public officer upon whom a duty is imposed by this title, who knowingly fails or refuses to perform that duty in the manner prescribed by law, is guilty of a class 3 misdemeanor.

A person charged with performance of any duty under any law relating to elections who knowingly refuses to perform such duty, or who, in his official capacity, knowingly acts in violation of any provision of such law, is guilty of a class 6 felony unless a different punishment fo…

A. A person who knowingly forges or counterfeits returns of an election purporting to have been held at a precinct or place where no election was in fact held, or who knowingly substitutes, forges or counterfeits returns of election instead of the true returns for a precinct or p…

A. It is unlawful for an employer knowingly: 1. In paying employees the salary or wages due them, to enclose their pay in envelopes upon which there is written or printed any political mottoes, devices or arguments, containing threats, express or implied, intended or calculated t…

A. It is unlawful for a person knowingly: 1. Directly or indirectly, to make use of force, violence or restraint, or to inflict or threaten infliction, by himself or through any other person, of any injury, damage, harm or loss, or in any manner to practice intimidation upon or a…

A. It is unlawful for a person, directly or indirectly, by himself or through any other person knowingly: 1. To treat, give, pay, loan, contribute, offer or promise money or other valuable consideration, or to give, offer or promise an office, place or employment, or to promise o…

A person who, before or during an election provided by law, knowingly makes, offers or accepts a bet or wager, or takes a share or interest in, or in any manner becomes a party to the bet or wager, or provides or agrees to provide money to be used by another in making the bet or …

A person is guilty of a class 5 felony who: 1. Not being entitled to vote, knowingly votes. 2. Knowingly votes more than once at any election. 3. Knowingly votes in two or more jurisdictions in this state for which residency is required for lawful voting and the person is not a r…

A voter who knowingly commits any of the following acts is guilty of a class 2 misdemeanor: 1. Makes a false statement as to the voter's inability to mark a ballot. 2. Interferes with a voter within the seventy-five foot limit of the polling place as posted by the election marsha…

A person who commits any of the following acts is guilty of a class 2 misdemeanor: 1. Knowingly electioneers on election day within a polling place or in a public manner within seventy-five feet of the main outside entrance of a polling place or on-site early voting location esta…

A. It is a class 2 misdemeanor for any person to knowingly remove, alter, deface or cover any political sign of any candidate for public office or in support of or opposition to any ballot measure, question or issue or knowingly remove, alter or deface any political mailers, hand…

A person knowingly signing any name other than his own to a nomination petition or a petition for formation, alteration or dissolution of a special district, except in a circumstance where he signs for a person, in the presence of and at the specific request of such person who is…

In any election for state office, members of the legislature, justices of the supreme court, judges of the court of appeals or statewide initiative or referendum the attorney general may enforce the provisions of this title through civil and criminal actions. In any election for …

B. It is unlawful for any person to make a contribution in the name of another person, knowingly permit a person's name to be used to effect a contribution in the name of another person or knowingly accept a contribution made by a person in the name of another person. A person wh…

1. That a digital impersonation of the person was published to one or more other persons without the person's consent. 2. That at the time of publication either of the following applies: (a) The publisher did not reasonably convey to the persons to whom the publication was made t…

B. This section does not apply to: 1. Media that constitutes satire or parody. 2. An interactive computer service as defined in 47 United States Code section 230. C. A person who fails to make the disclosure required under this section is liable for the civil penalty prescribed b…

Notwithstanding any other law, the legislative district that contains the city of Prescott, as the first territorial capital, is designated as legislative district one. If the city of Prescott is located in more than one legislative district, the legislative district that contain…

For purposes of adopting legislative and congressional district boundaries, the legislature or any entity that is charged with recommending or adopting legislative or congressional district boundaries shall make its recommendations or determinations using population data from the…

A. Except as provided by subsection B and except where different election procedures or provisions are set forth by statute, the provisions of this title apply to all elections in this state. B. The provisions of this title apply to all elections held pursuant to title 48, chapte…

A. Notwithstanding any other law, this state and special taxing districts and any public agency, department, board, commission, committee, council or authority shall not spend or use public resources to influence an election, including the use or expenditure of monies, accounts, …

The terms "registered voters", "persons who are registered to vote", "registered electors" and "voters registered" as used in the following sections include only active registered voters for purposes of the following: 1. Calculating petition signature requirements pursuant to sec…