Monday marked the deadline for candidates running for office in Arizona to submit the required signatures to qualify to appear on the ballot for the August 2 primary election. 

In order to appear on the ballot in Arizona, candidates running for a political party’s nomination must gather at least 0.5% of a race’s eligible voters. Candidates running for statewide office or U.S. Senate must gather the signatures of 0.25% of all Arizona voters.

In lieu of traditional petition sheets, candidates may gather “signatures” online through E-Qual, an online portal managed by the Arizona Secretary of State. This year, E-Qual has faced periodic outages as the software was updated to reflect redistricting.

Arizona does not have run-off elections, allowing candidates to advance to the general election with a plurality of votes.

Candidates who have not submitted enough signatures to qualify to appear on the primary ballot can seek a party’s nomination for an office as a write-in candidate. Write-in candidates seeking party nomination have until June 23 to file to run. The deadline for independent write-in candidates to file to run is September 29.

U.S. Senate

Senator Mark Kelly will be the only Democrat on the ballot. Kelly is seeking re-election to a full six-year term, after finishing the remaining two years of a seat originally won by Sen. John McCain in 2016.

On the Republican side, five candidates qualified for the ballot:

• Mark Brnovich, Arizona Attorney General since 2015.
• Jim Lamon, solar energy executive
• Blake Masters, tech executive
• Michael “Mick” McGuire, former Adjutant General of the Arizona National Guard and Major General in the U.S. Air Force
• Justin Olson, former state legislator and current member of the Arizona Corporation Commission since 2017

Governor

Three candidates will appear on the Democratic primary ballot.

• Katie Hobbs, current secretary of state and former state legislator. Hobbs is her party’s current frontrunner according to polling.
• Aaron Lieberman, former state representative
• Marco Lopez, former mayor of Nogales; former director of the Arizona Department of Commerce, and former chief of staff of U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Six candidates qualified for the Republican primary ballot. With six candidates, a candidate will be able to secure the nomination with as little as 17% of the vote.

• Steve Gaynor, small-business owner and 2018 Republican nominee for secretary of state
• Kari Lake, former television news anchor
• Scott Neely, small-business owner
• Matt Salmon, former U.S. representative, former legislator, and former chairman of the Arizona Republican Party
• Karrin Taylor Robson, former member of the Arizona Board of Regents and an Arizona business leader
• Paola “Z.” Tulliani-Zen, conservative activist

Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, is term limited and cannot run for a third term.

U.S. House of Representatives

Incumbent Rep. David Schweikert is running for reelection in Congressional District 1. Schweikert will appear alongside Republicans Elijah Norton and Josh Barnett on the primary ballot. The district, formerly Congressional District 6, is more Republican after redistricting. Democrats Jevin Hodge, Adam Metzendorf and Ginger Torres are vying for the Democratic nomination.

In Arizona’s new 4th congressional district, a swing district comprising Tempe, west Mesa and parts of Phoenix, six Republicans will be on the primary ballot. The nominee will face incumbent Rep. Greg Stanton.

In Congressional District 6, Republican Juan Ciscomani gathered more than twice as many signatures as other Republicans. The new district represents part of Tucson and the southeast corner of Arizona. The Republican nominee will face off against either Daniel Hernandez, Kirsten Engel or Avery Anderson. Hernandez is a current member of the Arizona House of Representatives and Engel is a former member of both the Arizona Senate and House of Representatives.

Incumbent Reps. Debbie Lesko and Andy Biggs, both Phoenix-area Republicans, will not face a challenger on the ballot from either party.

Secretary of State

Republicans Shawnna Bolick, Mark Finchem, Beau Lane and Michelle Ugenti-Rita have qualified for the ballot. Ugenti-Rita is currently a state senator. Bolick and Finchem are both currently members of the Arizona House of Representatives. Lane is an advertising executive.

For the Democrats, Minority Leader of the Arizona House of Representatives Reginald Bolding and former Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes are seeking to succeed Hobbs and have qualified for the ballot.

Attorney General

Democrat Kris Mayes will appear on the ballot in November. Mayes is the former chair of the Arizona Corporation Commission and the only Democrat to qualify for the ballot.

Republicans who have qualified for the ballot are:

• Lacy Cooper, a former assistant U.S. attorney
• Rodney Glassman, an attorney in private practice and a former Tucson city councilmember
• Andrew Gould, former Arizona Supreme Court Justice
• Dawn Grove, general counsel for Karsten Manufacturing
• Abraham “Abe” Hamadeh, former Army captain and a Maricopa County prosecutor
• Tiffany Shedd, former Republican nominee for U.S. House

Treasurer

Current State Treasurer Kimberly Yee is running for re-election and has qualified for the ballot, in addition to state Rep. Jeff Weninger. Financial executive Bob Lettieri also qualified to be on the ballot. 

Current state senator Martin Quezada was the only Democrat to gather enough signatures.

State Senate

There are currently 16 Republicans and 14 Democrats in the Arizona Senate.

Republican David Farnsworth, a former legislator, will face the current speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives, Rusty Bowers in Legislative District 10’s Senate primary. District 10 is centered around eastern Mesa. 

Republican state Sen. Nancy Barto and Democratic state Sen. Christine Marsh will likely face each other in Legislative District 4’s general election, as no other candidates qualified for either party’s primary. Legislative District 4 is centered around Paradise Valley and Scottsdale.

Republican state senators Wendy Rogers, who was recently censured by the Senate, and Kelly Townsend both qualified for the primary ballot in Legislative District 7, where the winner of the Republican nomination will face Democrat Kyle Nitschke. Legislative District 7 includes parts Coconino, Gila, Navajo and Pinal counties.

State House

There are currently 31 Republicans and 29 Democrats in the Arizona House of Representatives. Two Representatives are elected in each legislative district.

Six Republicans qualified for the ballot in Legislative District 4. Matt Gress, director of Gov. Ducey’s Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting, submitted by far the most signatures.

Rep. Brenda Barton, Rep. John Fillmore and Rep. David Cook, will all be on the ballot and will face off for the Republican nomination in Legislative District 7.

Maricopa County Attorney

A special election for Maricopa County Attorney will be held this cycle, after Maricopa County Recorder Allister Adel’s resignation. November’s winner will serve until January 1, 2025.

Julie Gunnigle is seeking the Democratic nomination and will be the only Democrat on the primary ballot. Gunnigle was the Democratic nominee in 2020.

Republicans Anni Foster, Gina Godbehere and Rachel Mitchell will all be on the primary ballot.

This article was updated on Apr. 8 by removing a reference and hyperlink to a public opinion poll.

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Today’s courtrooms serve as a regular battleground between those who seek to ensure election integrity through laws establishing stricter voting processes and those who wish to repeal such laws due to their potential to limit ballot accessibility for minority groups.

The tension between election integrity and voting access were on display earlier this year when the United States Supreme Court considered the legality and constitutionality of two Arizona election laws in a case brought by the Democratic National Committee and certain party affiliates. 

The Voting Rights Act, the Constitution, and Arizona’s election laws

The state Legislature in 2016 passed and Gov. Doug Ducey signed H.B. 2023, legislation barring so-called “,” which the bill’s proponents claim occurs when anyone other than a United States Postal Service Postal Service worker or election official collects either voted or unvoted ballots. 

Essentially, ballot harvesting occurs when a surrogate “harvests” or collects voters’ completed ballots to submit those ballots at the polls. While for many this might seem like a helpful gesture and a voting option that assists voters in the submission of their ballot, the Legislature believed ballot harvesting could have the potential to undermine the fairness and honesty of elections. 

Also before the Supreme Court was a state law banning voters from casting ballots at voting precincts other than the ones assigned to them (A.R.S 16-122). 

In , the Court contemplated about the two Arizona election laws as they relate to Sec. 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Passed in 1965, the VRA is a landmark law that set certain standards for election regulation meant to enforce rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment, also known as the equal protection clause. of the law prohibits voting practices that discriminate on the basis of race, color, or affiliation. 

1. Does Arizona’s ballot harvesting law violate Sec. 2 and/or the Fifteenth Amendment, which ensures “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” The DNC argued the law unduly burdened voters of minority groups and, as a result, was both a violation of Sec. 2 and the Fifteenth Amendment.

2. Does Arizona’s Out-of-Precinct policy violate Sec. 2 of the VRA? The DNC that “The state’s refusal to count ballots cast in the wrong precinct and its ballot-collection restriction had an adverse and disparate effect on the State’s American Indian, Hispanic, and African-American citizens in violation of §2 of the VRA.” 

Additionally, the DNC alleged that the ballot-casting restriction was in violation of Section 2 of the VRA because it was “enacted with discriminatory intent.” 

The Supreme Court in July ruled in a 6-3 decision that Arizona’s election laws were not in violation of Sec. 2 of the VRA, nor were they unconstitutional. The majority opinion was written by Justice Samuel Alito.

Ballot harvesting: A helpful gesture, or inviting corruption?

A few of H.B. 2023 directly target the behavior of ballot harvesters. 

• Section B reads: “It is unlawful to offer or provide any consideration to acquire a voted or unvoted early ballot. A person who violates this subsection is guilty of a class 5 felony”
• Section C reads: “It is unlawful to receive or agree to receive any consideration  in exchange for a voted or unvoted ballot. A person who violates this subsection is guilty of a class 5 felony”

“This bill ensures a secure chain of custody between the voter and the ballot box,” Gov. when he signed the bill into law. “We join 18 other states in this common-sense approach to maintaining the integrity of our elections.”

Opponents of ballot harvesting worry that the practice might result in fraud or systematic disenfranchisement and could negatively affect any political party. Indeed, the results of the North Carolina 9^th Congressional District race in 2018 were overturned because a Republican political operative collected hundreds of mail-in ballots from disproportionately Democratic neighborhoods and never brought them to a polling place. The election’s margin was slim, and the outstanding ballots had the potential to change the election’s result. 

The Alito opinion

Alito’s opinion acknowledges the history of discriminatory voter restrictions such as poll taxes, literary tests, property qualifications, as well as “White Primaries” and “grandfather clauses.” 

Alito uses the aforementioned examples of discriminatory election regulation and his comprehensive understanding of Sec. 2 of the VRA as a baseline from which to judge the current Arizona statutes. 

Alito argues that the plaintiffs failed to prove either of the statutes’ “disparate impact on the opportunities of minority voters to[vote]” as well as how the policy encouraged unlawful voting procedure by minority voters any more than their non-minority counterparts.    

Alito explains how Sec. 2 of the VRA specifically requires a “consideration of the totality of circumstances” when being applied to election regulations. “Thus any circumstance that has a logical bearing on whether voting is equally open and affords equal opportunity may be considered,” he wrote. He proposes that could be used as a legal test for judging such applications of Sec. 2 in the future.  

Alito’s examination of the “totality of circumstances” surrounding Arizona’s election regulation offers a defense for an election law aimed at ensuring election integrity. 

The Alito opinion, however, is not a consensus shared by all members of the court, and it is certainly not an opinion shared by the entire public. Still, Alito’s majority opinion will likely influence future Supreme Court decisions concerning how Sec. 2 of the VRA should be applied to election regulation.

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With the Arizona primary election less than one week away, voters are looking closely at intraparty races that will shape the future of the state House and Senate. 

Due to the partisan makeup of many legislative districts, the occupants of many districts’ legislative seats come January 2021 will likely be decided on August 4th.

Of the state’s 30 legislative districts, fewer than 10 are expected to feature even marginally competitive general election races. 

Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ endorsements

In June, the Arizona Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ of Commerce and Industry announced its bipartisan slate of endorsements. “We believe we have endorsed a slate of outstanding candidates who are all committed to advancing public policy that makes Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ore economically competitive,” said Glenn Hamer, president and CEO of the Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­.

In the Senate, the Arizona Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ of Commerce and Industry endorsed the following challengers and incumbents:

Karen Fann, LD1, Republican

Sonny Borrelli, LD5 Republican

Sylvia Allen, LD6 Republican

T.J. Shope, LD8 Republican

Vince Leach, LD11 Republican

Warren Petersen, LD12 Republican

Sine Kerr, LD13 Republican

David Gowan, LD14 Republican

Heather Carter, LD15 Republican

J.D. Mesnard, LD17 Republican

Sean Bowie, LD18 Democrat

Lupe Contreras, LD19 Democrat

Rick Gray, LD21 Republican

David Livingston, LD22 Republican

Lela Alston, LD24 Democrat

Tyler Pace, LD25 Republican

Kate Brophy McGee, LD28 Republican

Tony Navarette, LD30 Democrat

And in the House, the Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ backed the following:

Selina Bliss, LD1 Republican

Steven Sensmeier, LD1 Republican

Daniel Hernandez, LD2 Democrat

Alma Hernandez, LD3 Democrat

Regina Cobb, LD5 Republican

Leo Biasiucci, LD5 Republican

Walter Blackman, LD6 Republican

Frank Pratt, LD8 Republican

David Cook, LD8 Republican

Bret Roberts, LD11 Republican

Mark Finchem, LD11 Republican

Travis Grantham, LD12 Republican

Jake Hoffman, LD12 Republican

Joanne Osborne, LD13 Republican

Timothy Dunn LD13 Republican

Becky Nutt, LD14 Republican

Gail Griffin, LD14 Republican

Jarret Hamstreet, LD15 Republican

Steve Kaiser, LD15 Republican

Jeff Weninger, LD17 Republican

Jennifer Pawlik, LD17 Democrat

Bob Robson, LD18 Republican

Jennifer Jermaine, LD18 Democrat

Diego Espinoza, LD19 Democrat

Lorenzo Sierra, LD19 Democrat

Anthony Kern, LD20 Republican

Shawnna Bolick, LD20 Republican

Kevin Payne, LD21 Republican

Frank Carroll, LD22 Republican

Ben Toma, LD22 Republican

John Kavanagh, LD23 Republican

Jay Lawrence, LD23 Republican

Jennifer Longdon, LD24 Democrat

Amish Shah, LD24 Democrat

Rusty Bowers, LD25 Republican

Michelle Udall, LD25 Republican

Debbie Nez-Manuel, LD26 Democrat

Reginald Bolding, LD27 Democrat

Catherine Miranda, LD27 Democrat

Cesar Chavez, LD29 Democrat

Robert Meza, LD30 Democrat

Vote on Aug. 4 or before at a Voting Center

It’s important that voters know when, where, and how to cast their vote.

Reminder: if you are a registered PEVL (Permanent Early Voting List) voter and have yet to mail in your ballot, drop your ballot off at an eligible voting location, as detailed below, before 7:00pm on August 4th.

• Maricopa County: Visit the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office website to find voting locations and which dates they are open.
• Apache County: Visit the Apache County Recorder’s Office website to find voting locations and which dates they are open.
• Cochise County: Visit the Cochise County Recorder’s Office website to find voting locations and which dates they are open.
• Coconino County: Visit the Coconino County Recorder’s Office website to find voting locations and which dates they are open.
• Gila County: Visit the Gila County Recorder’s Office website to find voting locations and which dates they are open.
• Graham County: Visit the Graham County Recorder’s Office website to find voting locations and which dates they are open.
• Greenlee County: Visit the Greenlee County Recorder’s Office website to find voting locations and which dates they are open.
• La Paz County: Visit the La Paz County Recorder’s Office website to find voting locations and which dates they are open.
• Mohave County: Visit the Mohave County Recorder’s Office website to find voting locations and which dates they are open.
• Navajo County: Visit the Navajo County Recorder’s Office website to find voting locations and which dates they are open.
• Pima County: Visit the Pima County Recorder’s Office website to find voting locations and which dates they are open.
• Pinal County: Visit the Pinal County Recorder’s Office website to find voting locations and which dates they are open.
• Santa Cruz County: Visit the Santa Cruz County Recorder’s Office website to find voting locations and which dates they are open.
• Yavapai County: Visit the Yavapai County Recorder’s Office website to find voting locations and which dates they are open.
• Yuma County: Visit the Yuma County Recorder’s Office website to find voting locations and which dates they are open.

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