legislative vacancies; appointment

This bill (SB 1588) establishes procedures for filling vacancies in Arizona's state legislature. For districts with at least 30 precinct committeemen from the relevant political party, the state party chairman convenes a meeting where precinct committeemen nominate three qualified candidates from their party, who must reside in the same district and county. The county board of supervisors then appoints from these nominees within 10-21 days (depending on legislative session status), or the party chairman appoints if the board fails to act. For districts with fewer than 30 committeemen or unaffiliated seats, the county board appoints a citizens panel to submit three nominees within seven days. The bill directly affects legislative districts and county boards of supervisors when a seat becomes vacant.