April 14, 2021 Updated: April 14, 2021, 11:19 am
TUCSON, Arizona (AP) – The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a state law on local election dates trampled on the autonomy of so-called charter cities in a case involving Tucson.
The 5-1 Supreme Court ruling settles a dispute between Tucson and state lawmakers, letting the city continue its election for three city council positions in 2021 instead of an even year.
Attorney General Mark Brnovich said Tucson’s election plans could violate a 2018 law requiring cities to hold their elections in even years if their out-of-year elections show a significantly lower turnout.
However, the court ruled that the 2018 law contradicted a state constitutional provision that gave charter cities autonomy on matters of purely local concern, as the timing of city elections is a local issue, not a national issue.
Tucson officials had said lawmakers couldn’t tell the city when to hold their elections, and the city was planning its primaries for August 3rd and its general election for November 2nd.
Comments are closed.