Candidate Packet & Information

Candidate qualifications are as follows:

1. A candidate for local office must be a qualified elector at the time of filing their nomination paper.
2. Any such candidate, in addition to the other requirements, must be 18 years of age or over in general law cities and towns.
3. Candidates for local office must also have resided in the town for 1 year preceding the election. This 1-year residency requirement also permits persons living in an area that is annexed to a city or town less than 1 year prior to the election to qualify as a candidate if they meet all other requirements for candidates.
4. Concerning the question of candidate qualifications, it should be noted that a person convicted of a felony cannot serve as a councilmember until he/she has been restored their civil rights.

As previously noted, a councilmember must possess all of the qualifications of an elector, in general law cities and towns. The qualifications for an elector, in part, prohibit any person convicted of treason or a felony from being qualified to vote at any election, unless his/her civil rights are restored.

Also, if a person has been adjudicated an "incapacitated person", they are ineligible to vote at any election. Hence, it is clear that no person formerly convicted of a felony can be a candidate for office unless his civil rights are restored, nor can an "incapacitated person" be a candidate as such a person does not possess voter qualifications.

Also, a person cannot be a candidate for more than 1 public office if the elections for those offices are held on the same day and if the person would be prohibited from serving in the offices simultaneously.

Members of the Legislature

A member of the State Legislature is prohibited from holding office in a city or town. The only offices a legislator may hold while serving as a member of the Legislature are school trustee, teacher or instructor.

Federal Civilian Employees

Generally, employees in the Executive Branch of the Federal Government may not take an active part in political management or in political campaigns. However, they may run for local office in non-party elections; that is, elections in which no candidate for local office is identified on the ballot as representing any political party, including a nonpartisan party. In other words, Federal employees may participate in non-party local elections in which party designation and nomination are completely absent.

Candidates running for office in Arizona are able to collect 100% of their required nomination petitions signatures online! E-Qual enables eligible voters to electronically sign these petitions. The portal creates a candidate profile with website links to be shared on social media for greater outreach to voters. For candidates that still wish to gather signatures on paper, the system enables a candidate to electronically design a nomination petition that may be printed for in-person circulation. Please call the Town Clerk’s Office at 928-759-3028 to schedule an appointment to meet with the Town Clerk and pick up the Candidate Packet. Remember, aspiring candidates for office must file a Statement of Interest with the Town Clerk before the candidate begins collecting petition signatures. (A.R.S.) 16-311(H).

CAMPAIGNING

PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL [ARS§16-925(A) (A)]

A person (defined in ARS §16-901) that makes an expenditure for an advertisement or fundraising solicitation, other than an individual, shall include the following disclosure in the advertisement or solicitation:

1. The words “paid for by” followed by the name of the person making the expenditure for the advertisement or fundraising solicitation.
2. Whether the expenditure was authorized by any candidate, followed by the identity of the authorizing candidate if any. If a disclosure contains any acronym or nickname that is not commonly known, the disclosure shall also spell out the acronym or provide the full name.

If the advertisement is:
1. Broadcast on radio, the disclosure shall be clearly spoken at the beginning or end of the advertisement.
2. Delivered by hand or mail or electronically, the disclosure shall be clearly readable.
3. Displayed on a sign or billboard, the disclosure shall be displayed in a height that is at least four percent of the vertical height of the sign or billboard.
4. Broadcast on television or in a video or film, both of the following requirements apply:
(a) The disclosure shall be both written and spoken at the beginning or end of the advertisement, except that if the written disclosure statement is displayed for the greater of at least one-sixth of the broadcast duration or four seconds, a spoken disclosure statement is not required.
(b) The written disclosure statement shall be printed in letters that are displayed in a height that is at least four percent of the vertical picture height.

This disclosure requirement exempts:
1. Social media messages, text messages, or messages sent by a short message service.
2. Advertisements placed as a paid link on a website, if the message is not more than 200 characters in length and the link directs the user to another website that complies with the disclosure requirement.
3. Advertisements that are placed as a graphic or picture link, if the disclosures cannot be conveniently printed due to the size of the graphic or picture and the link directs the user to another website that complies with the disclosures requirements.
4. Bumper stickers, pins, buttons, pens and similar small items on which the required statements cannot be conveniently printed.
5. A solicitation of contributions by a separate segregated fund.
6. A communication by a tax-exempt organization solely to its members.
7. A published book or a documentary film or video.

SIGNAGE (Resolution No. 816; Town Code Article 13-23)

Campaign signs may not be placed in any public right-of-way within the Town of Prescott Valley or in the Commercial Tourism Zones (depicted on the maps linked below). All signs must adhere to the general provisions set forth in Town Code Section 13-23-030 and comply with the standards described in Article 13-23 “Sign Regulations” for each zoning district where the signs will be located.

• A. As a candidate, you must file a Statement of Organization to form a Candidate Committee within ten days of meeting the committee criteria. (For additional requirements and restrictions refer to A.R.S. § 16-905.) 
• B. You may not file as a write-in candidate pursuant to A.R.S. § 16-312(F) if any of the following applies: 
  • 1. As a candidate in the PRIMARY election: 
    • a. You filed a nomination petition for the current primary election for the office sought and failed to provide a sufficient number of valid petition signatures as prescribed by A.R.S. § 16-322; 
    • b. You withdrew from the primary election after a challenge was filed; or 
    • c. You were removed from or otherwise determined by court order to be ineligible for the primary election ballot. 
  • 2. As a candidate in the GENERAL/RUNOFF election: 
    • a. You ran in the immediately preceding primary election and failed to be nominated to the office sought in the current election; 
    • b. You filed a nomination petition for the immediately preceding primary election for the office sought (or other than by primary for the office sought) and failed to provide a sufficient number of valid petition signatures as prescribed by A.R.S. § 16-322 or A.R.S. § 16-341. 
• C. The Primary/General election will be held on August 6, 2024. Pursuant to A.R.S. § 16-311, the following properly executed forms must be submitted to the town clerk for the official filing of your candidacy not later than 5:00 p.m. on the 40th day before the election (no later than June 27, 2024): 
  • 1. The Nomination Paper, Declaration of Qualification, and a Campaign Finance Statement included in the Declaration that states you have no final, outstanding judgments against you of more than an aggregate of $1,000 due to your failure to comply with or enforcement of Title 16, Chapter 6, Arizona Revised Statutes (signed under penalty of perjury). 
  • 2. The Financial Disclosure Statement (prescribed by the Secretary of State). 
• D. Note: In order to be issued a certificate of nomination or election, A.R.S. §§ 9-821.01 and 16-645 require a write-in candidate to receive a number of votes equivalent to or at least the same number of 591 signatures required by A.R.S. § 16-322 for nominating petitions for the same office. If you have questions, please feel free to call me. Fatima Fernandez, Town Clerk (928)759-3028

Nomination Paper/Declaration of Qualification/Write-in

Financial Disclosure Statement

Financial Disclosure Guide

Statement of Organization