Arizona: State Senator proposes new requirements for paid signature gatherers; petition language

Arizona State Senator David Gowan (R) has proposed a bill that adds new hurdles for recall petitions, requiring that paid gatherers (circulators) and gatherers from other states must first register with the secretary of state -- this bill is the same as requirements being put on initiative gatherers.

The bill also adds formatting language for the recall petitions, which then ties it to a strict compliance standard -- if gatherers don't meet the strict rules, the petitions get thrown out.

The strict compliance provision is pretty critical in Arizona. In 2011, during the recall against Senate Majority Leader Russell Pearce, the Arizona Supreme Court held that petitions should be judged liberally according to a substantial compliance standard and rejected a strict compliance rule. Pearce was ousted in the recall election.