Town clerk outlines new primary date, filing deadlines after state law change
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Summary
Town clerk explained HB2022 moved Arizona’s primary to the second-to-last Tuesday in July, setting the 2026 primary for July 21 and detailing candidate filing, registration and ballot-statement deadlines for Prescott Valley.
Miss Fernandez, the town clerk, told the Prescott Valley Town Council on Feb. 26 that HB2022, adopted as an emergency measure, permanently moved the state primary and made the change effective immediately. "So that date would be July 21," she said, describing the new calendar and how the change affects local filings.
Fernandez said the official candidate filing window runs Feb. 21 through March 23, and that the clerk’s office will accept filings that were prepared for either the prior August date or the new July date to protect candidates who had already collected signatures. The deadline for write-in candidates is May 22; the last day to register to vote is June 22; and early voting begins June 24, when mailed ballots will also go out to voters who requested them.
The clerk said the county — which operates early-voting satellite locations under an intergovernmental agreement with the town — is seeking a larger site and that early-voting may not be held at the civic center this year. Fernandez advised the council she will post locations once they are confirmed.
Fernandez also previewed items likely to appear on the November ballot, including a previously referred annexation (identified in the materials as "Lakeshore 650," referenced as Proposition 492) and a proposed transaction-privilege-tax (TPT) initiative to fund an aquatic recreation facility (referred to in the presentation as Proposition 493). She said Project LINKS and a quarry/mining petition ("government tank") remain in petition or appeal status and could appear on the ballot if signature reviews are completed and certified in time.
On administrative requirements, Fernandez said the call of election triggers production of the official publicity pamphlet; statements for or against ballot propositions must be filed with the clerk’s office by Aug. 5, are limited to 300 words, require a sworn statement and a $100 fee to offset printing costs.
Council members asked whether referendums could be placed on the July primary to avoid the expense of running them again in November. Fernandez and the town attorney replied that some items, notably sales-tax measures, must appear on the November ballot by law. Fernandez walked the council through the signature-review timeline for pending petitions and the county certification process.
The council later approved a resolution formally calling the July primary and Nov. 3 general election and placing the listed referendums on the ballot; the resolution passed unanimously.