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Committee advances bill lowering nomination‑petition signature requirements for justice of the peace and constable candidates
Summary
A bill sponsored by Representative Carter would align signature requirements for small judicial precincts with other county offices; a long‑serving justice of the peace testified about the practical impact in rural counties.
PHOENIX — The Arizona House Committee on Federalism, Military Affairs and Elections on Feb. 7 gave House Bill 2391 a due‑pass recommendation, a measure that alters the number of signatures required on nomination petitions for candidates for justice of the peace and constable.
Representative Carter, sponsor of HB 2391, told the committee the measure is “constituent driven” and intended to correct what he described as a disparity in Pinal County where the signature threshold for some justice of the peace and constable districts is higher than for countywide offices. "It's harder to make the ballot as justice of the peace in my county than it is as a county wide candidate," Carter said.
Justice Sean Bebeau (Pinal County justice of the peace), who testified with Representative Carter, said his specific precinct currently requires 653 signatures while countywide offices require 5,547 signatures in Pinal County. He described that disparity as difficult to explain to voters and candidates: "It almost seems like once you get in there, there's it's locking you in for life because you can't generate enough signatures to become an opponent."
The bill does not change requirements in Maricopa or Pima counties, which use a different signature scale, and committee members who represent rural counties said they supported the idea of creating a more even playing field for local judicial office candidates. The committee advanced the bill with a vote of 4 ayes, 2 nays and 1 present.
Votes and procedure
- Motion: HB 2391 be returned with a due pass recommendation. - Outcome: Due pass; committee vote 4 ayes, 2 nays, 1 present.
Context
Supporters said the bill responds to long‑standing confusion among candidates and voters in rural counties where the justice‑of‑the‑peace precincts are small but petition signature thresholds remained high. Opponents raised no substantive legal obstacle on the record but some said they needed additional review.
Ending
Representative Carter said the bill is intended to give smaller judicial precincts a fairer path to the ballot; the measure will move to the full House for further consideration.
Source: Committee staff explanation, testimony from Representative Carter and Justice Sean Bebeau, Feb. 7 committee hearing.
