HCR 2051 Arizona House · 57th Legislature - Second Regular Session

ballot measures; circulators; revenue; disclosure

HCR 2051 regulates how circulators collect signatures for Arizona ballot initiatives and referendums. It requires paid circulators to verbally disclose their name, state residence, and paid status before collecting signatures, wear visible badges with this information, and register with the Secretary of State. Non-resident circulators and all paid circulators must register with required details, including contact information and a sworn affidavit. Signatures collected without proper disclosure or registration are void. The bill directly affects petition circulators but does not change voter requirements or create new revenue.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

House Passage

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Feb 9, 2026 Last action Mar 25, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Version → House Engrossed Version (03/03/2026) · 6 edits · Mar 3, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was converted from a standard introduced version to a House Engrossed version, which includes significant substantive amendments to Arizona's initiative and referendum laws. The changes primarily focus on tightening regulations for paid petition circulators, requiring them to register with the Secretary of State, wear visible badges, and verbally disclose their status to potential signers. Additionally, the bill adds strict prohibitions against paying circulators based on the number of signatures collected and requires local measures to include financial disclosure statements regarding funding sources.

Scope change

The scope of regulation expanded to include mandatory registration for all non-resident and paid circulators, whereas the previous version focused mainly on disclosure requirements for those already circulating petitions.

REQUIREMENT

New registration requirement mandates that all paid circulators and non-resident circulators must register with the Secretary of State before circulating petitions.

Paid circulators must now verbally disclose their status and legal residence to potential signers and wear a visible badge identifying them as paid.

A new prohibition prevents any payment to circulators based on the specific number of signatures they collect.

Local initiatives and referendums must now include a specific disclosure of expenditures and the source of increased revenues required to fund them.

DEFINITION

The definition of a 'paid circulator' was clarified to exclude employees of political committees unless they gather a high volume of signatures.

ENFORCEMENT

Signatures obtained by unregistered circulators or those violating disclosure rules are now void, and violators face misdemeanor charges.

Floor votes · House Mar 3, 2026

How they voted

32–24

Passed · 4 other

Total votes 60

Mar 3, 2026

D Democratic27

24 Nay 3

88% Nay

R Republican33

32 Yea 1

96% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Mar 25, 2026

Upper · Passed

upper

Mar 3, 2026

Lower · Passed

PASSED

lower

Mar 2, 2026

Lower · Passed

DPA

lower

Feb 18, 2026

Lower · Passed

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors