HB 2318

House Engrossed
school districts;
  elections; term limits
State of Arizona
House of Representatives
Fifty-seventh Legislature
Second Regular Session
2026
HOUSE BILL 2318
AN
ACT
amending section 15-424, Arizona Revised
Statutes; relating to school district governing board elections.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it
enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Section 15-424, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:
START_STATUTE15-424. Election of governing board members; terms; reduction of
membership; statement of contributions and expenditures; term limits
A. A regular election shall be held for each school
district at the time and place, and in the manner, of general elections as
provided in title 16.
B. Except as provided in subsection C of this
section and sections 15-429 and 15-430, the term of office for each
member shall be four years from January 1 next following the member's election.
C. At the first general election held for a newly
formed district, three members shall be elected. The candidate
receiving the highest number of votes shall be elected to a four-year
term, and the candidates having the second and third highest number of votes
shall be elected to two-year terms.� A district increasing its governing
board to five members shall elect at the next general election members in the
following manner:
1. If one of the previous three offices is to be
filled, the three candidates receiving the highest, the second highest and the
third highest number of votes shall be elected to four-year terms.
2. If two of the previous three offices are to be
filled, the candidates receiving the highest, the second highest and the third
highest number of votes shall be elected to four-year
terms. The candidate receiving the fourth highest number of votes
shall be elected to a two-year term. Thereafter,
all such offices shall have four-year terms.
D. A member who is serving on a governing board for
a district that reduces the number of its governing board members to three
pursuant to section 15-425.01 shall continue to serve as a member of the
governing board until expiration of the member's current term of office.� A
district that reduces the number of its governing board members to three
pursuant to section 15-425.01 shall reduce the number of its members as
follows:
1. If two of the previous five offices are expiring
at the first general election held after the general election in which a
district reduces the number of its governing board members to three pursuant to
section 15-425.01:
(a) At the first general election held after the
general election in which a district reduces the number of its governing board
members to three pursuant to section 15-425.01, the candidate receiving
the highest number of votes shall be elected to a four-year term.
(b) At the second general election held after the
general election in which a district reduces the number of its governing board
members to three pursuant to section 15-425.01, the candidates receiving
the highest and second highest number of votes shall be elected to four-year
terms.
2. If three of the previous five offices are
expiring at the first general election held after the general election in which
a district reduces the number of its governing board members to three pursuant
to section 15-425.01, the candidate receiving the highest number of votes
shall be elected to a four-year term at the election.
E. If only one person files a nominating petition or
nomination paper for a write-in candidate for an election to fill a
district office, the board of supervisors, not earlier than one hundred five
days before the election, may cancel the election for the position and appoint
the person who filed the nominating petition or nomination paper to fill the
position. If no person files a nominating petition or nomination
paper for an election to fill a district office, the board of supervisors, not
earlier than one hundred five days before the election, may cancel the election
for that office and that office is deemed vacant and shall be filled as
provided in section 15-302.� A person who is appointed pursuant to this
subsection is fully vested with the powers and duties of the office as if
elected to that office.
F. If two or more candidates receive an equal number
of votes for the same office, and a higher number than any other candidate for
that office, whether on the tally by the school election board or canvass of
returns by the board of supervisors, or on recount by a court, the officer or
board whose duty it is to declare the result shall determine by lot and in the
presence of the candidates which candidate shall be declared elected.
G. the position of the names
of candidates for each office shall be rotated so that each candidate occupies
each position on the ballot an equal number of times, insofar as is possible,
for each ballot style. For candidates seeking election to fill a
vacancy on the governing board, the ballot shall be designated as provided in
section 16-502.
H. This section does not require that a school
election at which no member is to be elected be held on a general election day.
I. All candidates for the office of school district
governing board member shall file with the county school superintendent a
statement of contributions and expenditures as provided in section 16-926.
J. A person is ineligible to be a
candidate for nomination or election to the office of governing board member
for a school district that has a student count of at least two hundred fifty if
both of the following apply:
1. The person will have served at
least eight consecutive years as a governing board member for the school
district on the first day of the term of office for which the person seeks
election.
2. Fewer than four years have passed
since the last day of the person's most recent term of office as a governing
board member for the school district.
K. A person who is ineligible to be a
candidate for nomination or election to the office of governing board member
pursuant to Subsection J of this section is eligible for appointment to fill a
vacancy on the school district governing board pursuant to section 15-302,
subsection A, paragraph 3. END_STATUTE
Sec. 2. Retention of members
Notwithstanding section 15-424,
Arizona Revised Statutes, as amended by this act, all persons serving as
members of a school district governing board on the effective date of this act
may continue to serve until the expiration of their current
terms. Any school district governing board member who is a candidate
for nomination or election after the effective date of this act is subject to
the term limits prescribed by statute.