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SB 1153

AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- COURTS -- JUSTICES OF THE SUPREME, SUPERIOR, AND FAMILY COURTS

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Jake Bissaillon and 1 co-sponsor

Arizona extends the final deadline to file write-in nomination papers from 40th to 60th day before the election (5:00 pm), tightening eligibility and disclosure rules.

06/13/2025 Introduced, referred to Senate Finance
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · SB 1153

Summary — SB 1153 (Arizona version: amendment to A.R.S. §16-312)

Note: the package you provided contains text from multiple unrelated bills from other states. This summary focuses on the primary Arizona bill text in the packet, which amends Arizona Revised Statutes §16-312 (filing of nomination papers for write‑in candidates).

Purpose

To revise the statutory procedures and deadlines for write‑in candidates’ nomination paper filings under Arizona election law, and to clarify filing qualifications and disqualifications for write‑in candidacies.

Key provisions (what the bill does)

  • Changes the final filing deadline for write‑in nomination papers from 5:00 p.m. on the 40th day before the election to 5:00 p.m. on the 60th day before the election. (Still allows filing as early as 150 days before the election.)
  • Retains and clarifies existing exceptions:
    • Write‑in candidates under A.R.S. §16‑343(D) must file by 5:00 p.m. five days before the election.
    • Candidates for elections that may be cancelled under §16‑410 must file by 5:00 p.m. on the 106th day before the election.
  • Maintains filing content and procedure requirements: nomination paper signed by the candidate; actual residence/address information (or description/PO box if residence is protected under §16‑153); age, length of state residence, and date of birth; filing in the same manner as §16‑311.
  • Requires financial disclosure: filing officers must not accept nomination papers for state or local office unless the candidate has provided the statutorily required financial disclosure.
  • Adds enforcement related to unpaid liabilities: filing officers may not accept a write‑in nomination paper (except where liability is under appeal) if the person has an aggregate $1,000 or more in unsatisfied fines, penalties, late fees, or civil/administrative judgments arising from failure to comply with or enforcement of chapter 6 of Title 16.
  • Prescribes notification and ballot counting mechanics: secretary of state, county school superintendents, boards of supervisors, and local clerks must notify appropriate election officials of properly filed write‑in candidates; election board inspectors must post notice of official write‑in candidates in polling places; no other write‑ins will be counted.
  • Lists disqualifying circumstances for filing as a write‑in (examples):
    • A general election candidate who ran in the immediately preceding primary and failed to be nominated.
    • Candidates who failed to submit sufficient petition signatures in prior or current petition-based nomination processes (per §§16‑322 and 16‑341).
  • Presidential write‑in specifics: nominees for U.S. President filing as write‑in must designate a vice‑presidential running mate, the names of the presidential electors, include signed consent statements from those designees, and file a nomination paper for each elector (number equal to Arizona’s Congressional delegation).

Who is affected

  • Prospective write‑in candidates for state, county, district, and municipal offices in Arizona (residency and eligibility rules still apply).
  • Election filing officers and county/municipal election administrators responsible for receiving and processing write‑in filings and posting official candidate notices.
  • Voters indirectly, because the change affects which write‑in names are officially counted and announced at polling places.

Procedural / timeline notes

  • The bill text you provided includes a chaptered version showing it was approved by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State on March 31, 2025. If enacted as shown, the amended deadlines and provisions are part of Arizona law as of that date (check official state publications for the statutory effective date).
  • Existing filing window still begins 150 days before the election; only the closing cutoff moved from 40 to 60 days before the election (earlier cutoff).

Potential impacts / practical effects

  • Moving the deadline from 40 to 60 days before the election gives election officials more lead time to process write‑in filings, notify local election boards, and ensure ballot‑counting rules and polling‑place postings are in place.
  • It reduces the ability for last‑minute write‑in candidacies to be counted, which could limit opportunistic or emergency filings.
  • The $1,000 unpaid liability bar and continued financial disclosure requirement tighten eligibility and transparency for write‑in candidates.

If you want, I can produce a plain‑language voter‑facing summary or compare the bill’s changes side‑by‑side with current A.R.S. §16‑312.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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