The proposed bill would amend several sections of the Arizona Revised Statutes related to initiatives and referendums, primarily by expanding the requirements for petition circulators and applying stricter compliance standards. Under the new provisions, paid circulators would be required to verbally disclose their state of residence and their status as paid circulators when approaching potential signers, as well as wear a visible badge indicating this information. Additionally, the bill would extend the strict compliance standard, currently applicable only to statewide initiatives, to those for cities, towns, and counties, ensuring that all circulators, including non-residents, must register with the Secretary of State (SOS) before circulating petitions.

Furthermore, the bill would prohibit circulators from receiving payment based on the number of signatures collected for any initiative or referendum, not just statewide measures. It would also allow any applicable filing officer, rather than solely the SOS, to disqualify signatures collected by unregistered circulators. Importantly, any municipal or county initiative that proposes mandatory expenditures or funding allocations would need to disclose the source of increased revenues to cover these costs within the initiative description. Overall, these changes aim to enhance transparency and accountability in the petition process.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 19-102, 19-102.01, 19-118, 19-118.01, 19-141, 19-101, 19-121, 19-142, 19-143, 16-452, 19-121.01, 16-101
Senate Engrossed Version: 19-102, 19-102.01, 19-118, 19-118.01, 19-141, 19-101, 19-121, 19-142, 19-143, 16-452, 19-121.01, 16-101