This bill proposes amendments to section 38-296 of the Arizona Revised Statutes, specifically addressing the rules surrounding incumbents of salaried elective offices and their ability to run for other offices. The current law prohibits incumbents from offering their candidacy for any salaried local, state, or federal office during their term, except in the final year. The bill modifies this by replacing the term "offer himself" with "offer the incumbent's candidacy," thereby updating the language to be more inclusive. Additionally, it clarifies that an incumbent is deemed to have offered their candidacy upon filing a nomination paper, rather than merely making a formal declaration.

Furthermore, the bill introduces a new provision that exempts city or town council members from the restrictions in subsection A if they wish to run for mayor of the same city or town. It specifies that a council member is not required to resign if their term does not coincide with the mayor's term and may lawfully offer their candidacy for mayor without resigning. The bill also updates the language regarding violations of this section, changing "any provision of" to simply "this section," while maintaining the consequences for misfeasance in office.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 38-296