Sen. Theresa Hatathlie, D-Coal Mine Canyon, accompanied by her brother, Freddie Hatathlie, is sworn into office by Chief Justice Robert Brutinel at the Arizona Senate on Jan. 10, 2022. Hatathalie was appointed to replace Sen. Jamescita Peshlakai. /Photo by Jeremy Duda | Arizona Mirror.
By Jeremy Duda | Arizona Mirror
Political party activists, not county supervisors, would get the final say in who fills vacant seats in the legislature under a proposal advanced by the Senate Government Committee.
Currently, if members of the legislature resign, die or otherwise vacate their seats, the precinct committeemen — the elected, voting members of a political party’s organization — from the departed lawmaker’s district nominate three finalists to fill the vacancy. The board of supervisors from the former lawmaker’s county then selects the replacement from that group.
Senate Bill 1063 would change that system to remove the county supervisors from the equation. The precinct committeemen, or PCs, as they’re often referred to, would make the decision themselves.
The bill would make another significant change. Under the current system, only PCs from the county the former lawmaker lived in get a say in who the three finalists are for to fill a vacancy.
