SB 1441 Arizona Senate · 57th Legislature - First Regular Session

school districts; partisan elections

SB 1441 would require school board elections in Arizona to be nonpartisan by removing political party designations from ballots for school district governing board candidates. The bill would amend election statutes to place school board candidates in a "Nonpartisan Ballot" section, listing their names without party labels or partisan titles. This change would directly affect all Arizona school districts and candidates running for school board positions by eliminating party affiliations from the ballot. The bill passed the legislature in April 2025 but was vetoed by the governor, so it did not become law.
Bill status vetoed 4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Mar 2025
Senate Passage
Feb 2025
House Passage
Apr 2025
Vetoed
Apr 2025
Introduced Feb 4, 2025 Vetoed Apr 18, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Version Senate Engrossed Version · 5 edits · Feb 26, 2025
MODERATE
This bill modifies Arizona election laws to clarify how school district governing board candidates appear on ballots and how partisan designations are assigned. The changes ensure that school district candidates are listed on ballots with their political party affiliation displayed, aligning them with the state's partisan election system while maintaining a separate nonpartisan section for other offices.
Scope change
The bill applies to school district governing board elections held on or after January 1, 2026.
REQUIREMENT

School district governing board candidates must now appear on ballots with their political party designation, which is determined by the party they were affiliated with 150 days before the primary election.

Added a new Section Two Nonpartisan Ballot section to separate judicial and other nonpartisan officials from partisan candidates on the ballot.

Updated ballot formatting requirements to include specific instructions for printing candidate names, party designations, and blank lines for write-in votes.

Added provisions for listing candidates nominated under section 16-341 in a single column below recognized parties with three-letter abbreviations from their nomination certificates.

Clarified that when multiple candidates from the same party seek the same office, their names must be alternated on ballots to ensure equal visibility across election districts.

Floor votes · House Apr 15, 2025

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
16
Key actions
6
Committee
2
Apr 18, 2025
Vetoed
Vetoed by Governor
executive
Apr 15, 2025
Lower · Passed
PASSED
lower
Mar 20, 2025
Lower · Passed
DP
lower
Mar 11, 2025
Lower · Passed
DP
lower
Feb 26, 2025
Upper · Passed
PASSED
upper
Feb 25, 2025
Upper · Passed
DP
upper
Feb 12, 2025
Upper · Passed
DP
upper
1 primary · 8 co-sponsors

Sponsors