Governing Board Elections and Candidate Information

Information for individuals who wish to be candidates for a School District Governing Board.

School Governing Board Qualifications

Pursuant to ARS 15-421 (C), a person is eligible to run for a school governing board seat in Arizona when they meet the following qualifications:

  • Registered voter in the state of Arizona
  • Resident of the school district for at least one year immediately preceding the day of election

School governing board members cannot be an employee of the school district or be a spouse of a school district employee, including a person who directly provides certified or classified services to the school district as an employee of a third-party contractor.

Statement of Interest

According to ARS 16-311 (H), candidates must file a Statement of Interest Form with the Pima County School Superintendent's Office before collecting nomination petition signatures.

UPDATE: For the health and safety of our employees and our candidates we are accepting your statement of interest electronically. You can scan (or take a picture) and email your statement of interest to: jeanette.velasquez@pima.gov.

CLICK HERE to view statement of interest filings for the 2024 election

CLICK HERE for the 2024 Offices to be Elected

Statements of Organization (Campaign Finance)

• Must be filed ONLY when a candidate receives contributions OR makes expenditures – in any combination – of at least $1,400 for the 2024 General Election Cycle.
• Candidates who will NOT reach the $1,400 threshold are NOT required to file a Statement of Organization.
• If a candidate reaches the threshold, the Statement of Organization must be filed with the Pima County Elections Department located at 6550 S. Country Club Road.
• Candidates are no longer required to file this form before circulating petitions.

Filing Petition Signatures

The candidate filing period for the November 5, 2024 election begins Saturday, June 8, 2024 at 8:00 a.m. and closes Monday, July 8, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. (Due to the first filing date occurring on a Saturday, our office will begin accepting nonpartisan nomination petitions on Monday, June 10, 2024 at 8:00 a.m.). The filing location is the Pima County School Superintendent’s Office located at 200 North Stone Ave, Tucson, AZ 85701. Candidates must file all required documents on time or their names WILL NOT appear on the ballot.

CLICK HERE to schedule your appointment

Candidates must file the following original documents with our office in order for their name to appear on the ballot:

CLICK HERE for the 2024 Nonpartisan Petition Signature Requirements

2 Year Term Candidates

**Candidates for Two (2) Year Terms MUST designate the term expiration date following the name of the office on the petitions prior to gathering signatures, as well as on the nomination papers (ARS 16-314 (D)).**

Write-In Candidates

A write-in candidate must file the following original document with our office NO EARLIER THAN June 8, 2024 at 8:00 a.m. and No LATER THAN 5:00 p.m. on July 22, 2024 (ARS 16-312 and 16-410):

  • Write-In Candidate Nomination Paper (coming soon)

Candidate Withdrawal

School Board candidates who decide to have their name removed from the ballot must submit a notarized Statement of Withdrawal to the Pima County School Superintendent's Office. Once a candidacy is withdrawn, if the candidate has registered a campaign committee, the committee is required to continue filing campaign finance reports until/unless the committee is terminated. Candidates who withdraw their name from the ballot cannot run as a write-in candidate for the same office.

Candidate Withdrawal Form 2024 (coming soon)

Candidate 10-Day Challenge Period

Immediately following the candidate filing period, candidate's filing for candidacy (qualifications, nomination papers, petitions, etc.) can be challenged with the Pima County Superior Court. The 10-day challenge period for the 2024 School Governing Board Elections is July 9, 2024 to July 19, 2024 at 5:00 pm.

Cancellation of School Governing Board Election

If only one or no candidate files qualified nomination papers for a school district governing board member position by 5:00 PM on July 23, 2024, our office will recommend cancellation of the election to the Pima County Board of Supervisors (BOS).

Under these circumstances, the candidate who has filed in a timely and appropriate manner may be appointed as if elected by the BOS to fill the school district’s governing board position (ARS 15-424 (D)). If no candidate files and the BOS opts to cancel the election, the vacancy shall be filled through the appointment process conducted by the County School Superintendent (ARS 15-424 (D) and 15-302).

Candidate Statements

Pursuant to ARS 15-421 (F), each candidate whose name has been certified to appear on the election ballot/write-in list may submit the following:

1.  A recent photograph.

2.  A typewritten or electronic statement, not to exceed 500 words.

3. A disclosure of any relationships by affinity, by consanguinity or by law to the third degree that exist between the candidate and any current governing board members or other candidates for election to the same governing board.

Certified Candidates may begin submitting the information described above NO EARLIER THAN Tuesday, July 9, 2024 and NO LATER THAN 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 12, 2024.

A signed hard copy of the candidate's statement can be delivered to our office or may be sent via email to matthew.stamp@pima.gov from the candidate's email address on file with the Pima County School Superintendent's Office.

Links, Forms, and Resources

If you have questions, please contact Elections Director Matthew Stamp at 520-260-3305 or at matthew.stamp@pima.gov.

NOTE:  Individuals interested in serving on the Pima Community College Board of Governors must file with the Pima County Elections Department.