(a) Prior to circulating the initiative or referendum petition, the circulator shall state whether they are a paid circulator or a volunteer by checking the appropriate line on the signature sheet. Signatures obtained on referendum petitions in violation of this section are void and shall not be counted in determining the legal sufficiency of the petition. For the purposes of this chapter, "paid circulator:"
(1) Means a natural person who receives monetary or other compensation that is based on the number of signatures obtained on a petition or on the number of petitions circulated that contain signatures.
(2) Does not include a paid employee of any political action committee organized pursuant to Arizona Revised Statutes Title 16, Chapter 6, unless that employee's primary responsibility is circulating petitions to obtain signatures.
(b) At all times during circulation, each signature sheet shall be attached to a complete copy of the title and text of the proposed measure.
(c) For purposes of this article, the term "at all times during circulation" means the entire period from the time the circulator receives any blank initiative petition for circulation until the time the petition is filed with the city clerk.
(d) With the exceptions listed in subsection (e) of this section, and section 12-115(a) of this code, any person who is qualified to register to vote in the State of Arizona may circulate an initiative or referendum petition.
(e) No county recorder or justice of the peace and no person other than a person qualified to register to vote in the State of Arizona shall circulate an initiative petition and all signatures verified by any such person shall be void and shall not be counted in determining the legal sufficiency of the petition.
(f) Each circulator of any petition page shall personally receive sufficient information from each signer of the signature sheet, at the time the signature is obtained, to ensure that the circulator can, as to all signers of that page, depose and state in the affidavit required by the Tucson Charter that each signature is genuine, and that each signer is a resident and qualified elector of the City of Tucson.
(g) Every qualified elector signing a petition shall do so in the presence of the person who is circulating the petition and who is to execute the affidavit of circulator.
(1) At the time of signing, the qualified elector shall sign their first and last names in the spaces provided and the elector so signing shall print their first and last names and write, in the appropriate spaces following the signature, the signer's residence address, giving street and number, and if no street address, a description of the residence location.
(2) In the case of strict compliance of the referendum, the qualified elector shall also print their ward number (see Tucson Code 12-151 (a)).
(3) The elector so signing shall write, in the appropriate spaces following the elector's address, the date on which the elector signed the petition.
(h) The circulator of any petition page shall retain direct custody and control of the page at all times during circulation, except when a signer is signing; personally give the page to, and take it from, each signer; and personally observe each signer of the petition page actually sign the petition.
(i) Abandoned or stray petition sheets that are not or at any time have not been under the direct custody and control of the circulator shall be rejected in their entirety.
(j) Each circulator of an initiative petition shall cross out and initial any blank signature lines on the signature sheet including those in the middle of the sheet, prior to, or at the time, the circulator's signature on the affidavit for that signature sheet is notarized.
(k) In the event that a circulator fails to cross out and initial any blank signature lines before notarization then the entire signature sheet shall be rejected and all signatures on that page will be void.
(l) Signatures obtained before the filing of a completed statement of organization with the city clerk are void and shall not be counted in determining the legal sufficiency of any initiative petition(s).
(m) The provisions of this section shall also apply to the circulation of any referendum or recall petition.
(Ord. No. 11525, § 2, 2-21-18)