Summary

Arizona, a southwestern U.S. state, is best known for the Grand Canyon, the mile-deep chasm carved by the Colorado River. Flagstaff, a ponderosa pine–covered mountain town, is a major gateway to the Grand Canyon. Other natural sites include Saguaro National Park, protecting cactus-filled Sonoran Desert landscape. Tucson is University of Arizona territory and home to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.

The government of Arizona consists of the executive, judiciary, and legislature of Arizona as established by the Arizona Constitution. The executive is composed of the Governor, several other statewide elected officials, and the Governor’s cabinet. The Arizona Legislature consists of the House of Representatives and Senate. The judiciary is composed of the Arizona Supreme Court and lower courts. There is also local government, consisting of counties, municipalities and special districts.

OnAir Post: Arizona onAir

News

i
Latest Arizona onAir News

The base content in each post in this Arizona onAir Hub has been updated as of 12/20/23. In addition to the eight posts on the home page, in depth posts on each US House member and posts on Arizona government and elections have been started. These posts have been shared with the US onAir Hub and will updated in the US onAir automatically when they are updated in this hub.

If your university or nonpartisan organization (such as a government focused research center, citizen engagement program or a League of Women Voters chapter) is interested in assisting the US onAir network to help curate new  issue posts or other posts on this Hub and moderate the forums in each post, contact Ben Murphy at Ben.Murphy@onair.cc.

We are also supporting college students to start an onAir chapter on the their campus to coordinate the curation and moderation of posts especially on state and local representatives and government.

About

 

The Arizona onAir Hub supports Arizonans to become more informed about and engaged in local, state, and federal politics while facilitating more civil and positive discussions with their representatives, candidates, and fellow citizens.

  • Arizona onAir is one of 50 state governance and elections hubs that the US onAir Network is providing to help reinvigorate US democracy.  This post has short summaries of current state and federal representatives with links to their complete Hub posts.  Students curate post content from government, campaign, social media, and public websites.  Key content on theArizona Hub is also replicated on the US onAir nations Hub at: us.onair.cc.
  • Arizona students will be forming onAir chapters in their colleges and universities to help curate Hub content.  As more students participate and more onAir chapters are started, we will expand to include more state and local content as well as increase the number of aircasts – student-led, livestreamed, online discussions with candidates, representatives, and the public.

Find out more about Who Represents Me in Arizona
Learn more about the US onAir Network

All hub content  in onAir hubs is free to the public. Hub ontent is under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial license which permits content sharing and adaptation by nonprofit organizations as long as proper attribution is given to its author(s) and is used for non-commercial purposes. Content and moderation guidelines reinforce our commitment to fact-based, comprehensive content and civil and honest discourse.

To participate in aircast and post discussions, email usdemocracy@onair.cc and include your first name last name, and zipcode. Your real name and any other profile information will not be displayed unless you choose to do so. Your personal information is not shared with any other website or organization.

Hub membership will enable you to:

  • Participate in issue and interview aircasts (student-led livestreamed discussions);
  • Interact directly with post authors and curators giving them feedback, content suggestions, and asking questions;
  • Ask questions, make suggestions, and give endorsement to representatives

Web Links

State Representatives

Governor Katie Hobbs

Arizona onAir 1Current Position: Governor since 2023
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Positions: Attorney General from 2019-2023; State Senator for District 24 from 2013 – 2019; State Delegate from 2011 – 2013

Kathleen Marie Hobbs is an American politician and social worker who is serving as Secretary of State of Arizona since January 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she was an Arizona state senator representing the 24th district from 2013 to 2019 and an Arizona state representative representing the 15th district from 2011 to 2013.

OnAir Post: Katie Hobbs – AZ

US Representatives

Senator Kristen Sinema

Kyrsten SinemaCurrent Position: US Senator since 2019
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Position: US Representative from 2013 – 2019
Upcoming Election:

Quotes:
The Senate passed our Growing Climate Solutions Act to increase economic opportunity for Arizona farmers while creating clearer air and a cleaner environment. @kyrstensinema

OnAir Post: Kyrsten Sinema – AZ

Senator Mark Kelly

Mark Kelly 1Current Position: US Senator since 2021
Affiliation: Democrat
Candidate: 2022 US Senator
Former Position: Astronaut from 1996 – 2011

Quotes:
Modern, robust infrastructure allows communities to thrive and economic opportunity to grow. I’m working with local leaders across Arizona to understand the priorities for each community as we work on a bipartisan infrastructure agreement in the Senate. @CaptMarkKelly

OnAir Post: Mark Kelly – AZ

David Schweikert AZ-01

David Schweikert 1Current Position: US Representative of AZ 1st District since 2011 (formerly 6th)
Affiliation: Republican
Former Positions: State Delegate from 1991 – 1994; Maricopa County Treasurer from 2004 – 2007
Other positions:   Senior House Republican Member, U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee
District:   northeast Phoenix, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Cave Creek, Carefree, and Fountain Hills; is majority-white; and is the wealthiest congressional district in Arizona.
Upcoming Election:

Quotes:
Americans are seeing increased costs every day – from grocery to gas, #Bidenflation is hurting hard-working Americans. Yet Democrats are proposing $3.5 trillion in new spending and tax hikes. @RepDavid

OnAir Post: David Schweikert AZ-01

Eli Crane AZ-02

Arizona onAir 2Current Position: US Representative of AZ 2nd District since 2023
Affiliation: Republican
District:    north eastern part of the state and includes Apache, Coconino, Gila, Navajo, and Yavapai counties in their entirety and portions of Graham, Maricopa, Mohave, and Pinal counties. The largest city in the district is Flagstaff.
Upcoming Election:

Eli Crane served in the United States Navy SEALs and co-founded Bottle Breacher, a company that manufactures bottle openers made of 50-caliber shell casings. In the 2022 House elections, Crane defeated incumbent Democrat Tom O’Halleran.

OnAir Post: Eli Crane AZ-02

Ruben Gallego AZ-03

Ruben Gallego 1Current Position: US Representative of AZ 7th District since 2015
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Position: State Delegate from 2011 – 2014
District:   most of southern, western, and downtown Phoenix, along with a portion of Glendale.
Upcoming Election:

Quotes:
I guess conservative Twitter has now determined that I have never seen combat.. it’s gonna be weird when they read my book about fighting in Iraq.

OnAir Post: Ruben Gallego AZ-03

Greg Stanton AZ-04

Greg Stanton 1Current Position: US Representative of AZ 04 District since 2019 (formerly 9th district)
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Positions: Mayor, Phoenix from 2011 – 2015; Phoenix City Council from 2000 – 2009
District: entirely within Maricopa County.[4]Upcoming Election:

Quotes:
ICYMI: I secured $50 million for the @usbr
to meet their obligations under the Drought Contingency Plan. The importance of a healthy Colorado River to the West cannot be overstated, and these funds will go a long way to conserve water in Lake Mead.

Congressman Greg Stanton of Arizona joined ‘Good Morning Arizona’ Wednesday morning to discuss the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States and what we can expect in the days, weeks, months, and years to come.

OnAir Post: Greg Stanton AZ-04

Andy Biggs AZ-05

Andy BiggsCurrent Position: US Representative of AZ 5th District since 2017
Affiliation: Republican
Former Positions: State Delegate from 2003 – 2011; US Senator
District:   Gilbert, Queen Creek, southern and eastern Chandler, and eastern Mesa. It is within eastern Maricopa County and northern Pinal County, and includes most of the East Valley.
Upcoming Election

Quotes:
Democrats want to defund the police but spend millions of taxpayer dollars on private security. @RepAndyBiggsAZ

OnAir Post: Andy Biggs AZ-05

Juan Ciscomani AZ-06

Arizona onAir 5 Current Position: US Senator
Affiliation: Republican
District:   all of Greenlee County, most of Cochise County, and parts of Pima County, Pinal County and Graham County. Most of its population resides in suburbs of Tucson, including Oro Valley, Marana, Green Valley, and Vail.
Upcoming Election:

Juan Ciscomani previously worked as a senior adviser to former Governor Doug Ducey, while also serving as vice chair of the Arizona-Mexico Commission. Ciscomani was chosen to deliver the Republican response to the 2023 State of the Union Address in Spanish.

OnAir Post: Juan Ciscomani AZ-06

Raúl Grijalva AZ-07

Raúl Grijalva 1Current Position: US Representative of AZ – 03 since 2003 (formerly 3rd)
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Position: Chair, Pima County Board of Supervisors from 1989 – 2002
Other positions: Chair, Committee on Natural Resources
District:   The district stretches along the Mexico–United States border and includes the western third of Tucson, parts of Yuma and Nogales, as well as Avondale and Tolleson in Metro Phoenix
Upcoming Election:

Quotes:
I‘ve fought for years to ensure mining companies pay a public royalty, clean up after themselves and treat public resources as a common good. It’s time for mining reform that holds polluters accountable & protects sacred land like the Grand Canyon. Raul M. Grijalva

OnAir Post: Raúl Grijalva AZ-07

Debbie Lesko AZ-08

Debbie LeskoCurrent Position: US Representative of AZ 8th District since 2018
Affiliation: Republican
Former Positions: State Delegate from 2009 – 2015; State Senator from 2015 – 2018
District:
Upcoming Election:

Quotes:
Dems are pushing to add amnesty to their multi-trillion-dollar spending spree! In the midst of skyrocketing inflation and a worsening border crisis, Dems seem committed to bankrupting our nation, hurting our economy, and prioritizing illegal immigrants over American citizens.

OnAir Post: Debbie Lesko AZ-08

Paul Gosar AZ-09

Paul Gosar 1Current Position: US Representative of AZ-09 since 2011 (formerly 4th)
Affiliation: Republican
Other positions:   Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
District:   Western Arizona
Upcoming Election:

Quotes:
I have been working on protecting and enhancing our critical mineral supply chain for several years. Why? Almost every modern convenience is dependent upon these minerals. Items like solar panels and photovoltaic cells, wind power turbines, electric vehicles, drones, fighter jets, radios, electronic shielding, combat equipment, batteries, electronics, and lighting all require critical minerals.  Paul Gosar, April 21, 2021

OnAir Post: Paul Gosar AZ-09

More Information

Wikipedia


The government of Arizona consists of the executive, judiciary, and legislature of Arizona as established by the Arizona Constitution. The executive is composed of the Governor, several other statewide elected officials, and the Governor’s cabinet. The Arizona Legislature consists of the House of Representatives and Senate. The judiciary is composed of the Arizona Supreme Court and lower courts. There is also local government, consisting of counties, municipalities and special districts.

Executive

The statewide elected officers are:

Elected Executive Officials in Arizona
Elected Corporation Commissioners

All elected officials hold a term of four years, and are limited to two consecutive terms (except the office of the State Mine Inspector, which is limited to 4 terms[1]). Arizona is one of five states that do not have a specified lieutenant governor, so the Secretary of State is the first in line to succeed the Governor in the event of death, disability, resignation, or removal from office. The line of succession also includes the attorney general, state treasurer, and superintendent of public instruction. Elections for statewide officers occur during even numbered, none presidential, years, except that 3 of the corporation commissioners are elected during presidential years.

On November 8, 2022, Arizona voters approved a state constitutional amendment (Proposition 131) that created the new position and office of the lieutenant governor beginning with the 2026 elections cycle. The position will be elected on a joint ticket with the governor. The lieutenant governor ascends to the governorship if the incumbent governor dies, resigns, or is removed (via impeachment conviction) from office. The proposition, through a law pre-passed by the state legislature, also tasks the governor with assigning a job to her or his running mate, such as chief of staff, the director of the state Department of Administration, or “any position” to which the governor can appoint someone by law.[2]

Cabinet

The state departments and agencies are:[3]

The Arizona State Capitol Executive Tower in Phoenix
Arizona Boards and Commissions Include

Legislature

See also: List of representatives and senators of Arizona Legislature by districts (2023–2033)
The State House Chamber of the Arizona State Capitol Building

The Arizona State Legislature is bicameral and consists of the 60-member Arizona House of Representatives and the 30-member Arizona Senate. Each of the thirty legislative districts has one senator and two representatives. Legislators are elected for two-year terms and are limited to four consecutive terms in a chamber, though there is no limit on the total number of terms.

Each Legislature covers a two-year period. The first session following the general election is known as the first regular session, and the session convening in the second year is known as the second regular session. Each regular session begins on the second Monday in January and adjourns sine die (terminates for the year) no later than Saturday of the week in which the 100th day from the beginning of the regular session falls. The President of the Senate and Speaker of the House, by rule, may extend the session up to seven additional days. Thereafter, the session can only be extended by a majority vote of members present of each house.

Judiciary

The Cochise County courthouse in Bisbee

The Arizona Supreme Court is the highest court in Arizona. The court currently consists of one chief justice, a vice chief justice, and five (5) associate justices. The supreme court has appellate jurisdiction in death penalty cases, but almost all other appellate cases go through the Arizona Court of Appeals beforehand. The court has original jurisdiction in a few other circumstances, as outlined in the state constitution. The court may also declare laws unconstitutional, but only while seated en banc. The court meets in the Arizona Supreme Court Building at the capitol complex (at the southern end of Wesley Bolin Plaza).

The Arizona Court of Appeals, further divided into two divisions, is the intermediate court in the state.[5] It hears and decides cases in three judge panels.[5] Division One is based in Phoenix, consists of sixteen judges, and has jurisdiction in the Western and Northern regions of the state, along with the greater Phoenix area. Division Two is based in Tucson, consists of six judges, and has jurisdiction over the Southern regions of the state, including the Tucson area.

The Arizona Superior Court is the court of general jurisdiction.[6] The Superior Court also acts as an appellate court for justice and municipal courts.[6]

The Arizona justice courts are nonrecord courts of limited jurisdiction in each county, presided over by a justice of the peace who is elected for a four-year term, that have jurisdiction over civil lawsuits where the amount in dispute is $10,000 or less, landlord and tenant controversies, small claims cases and the full range of civil and criminal traffic offenses, including DUIs, and other types of misdemeanor allegations (e.g. shoplifting, writing bad checks, violating restraining orders).[7][8]

The Arizona municipal courts, also known as city courts or magistrate courts, are nonrecord courts of limited jurisdiction that have criminal jurisdiction over misdemeanor crimes and petty offenses committed in their city or town and share jurisdiction with justice courts over violations of state law committed within their city or town limits, and hear misdemeanor criminal traffic cases such as driving under the influence of alcohol, hit-and-run and reckless driving where no serious injuries occur, and hear civil traffic cases, violations of city ordinances and codes, and issue orders of protection and injunctions prohibiting harassment, and can also issue search warrants.[7][9]

Merit Selection

All justices of the Arizona Supreme Court and all judges of the Arizona Court of Appeals as well as the trial court judges in some counties are selected through a process known as merit selection, a version of the Missouri Plan. The process, approved by voters in 1974 and amended in 1992, is described in Article 6, Section 37 of the Arizona Constitution.[10] As described there in paragraph B, the selection of trial court judges through this process only applies to counties with a population of over 250,000 people, as counted by the most recent US Census. As of 2023, this only applies to Maricopa County, Pima County, and Pinal County. An exception is made in Section 40 for less populous counties that vote to opt in to the process.[11] As of 2023, only Coconino County has done so, back in 2018.[12]

In merit selection, justices and judges are appointed by the governor from a list recommended by a bipartisan commission, and are re-elected (through what is called retention election) after the initial two years following their appointment. Subsequent re-elections occur every six years for the supreme and appellate courts, every four years for superior courts.[13][14]

Local government

Main article: Administrative divisions of Arizona
See also: List of counties in Arizona and List of cities and towns in Arizona
The (Maricopa) County-City Administration Building in Phoenix

Arizona is divided into political jurisdictions designated as counties, which derive all of their power from the state. Incorporated cities and towns are those that have been granted home rule, possessing a local government in the form of a city or town council.

See also

References

  1. ^ “Format Document”. www.azleg.gov. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  2. ^ Stern, Ray (8 November 2022). “Arizona voters approve Proposition 131 to create lieutenant governor position”. The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  3. ^ “Department and Agency Heads”. Office of the Governor of Arizona. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  4. ^ “Arizona Weights and Measures Department folding, duties moving”. azpbs.org. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  5. ^ a b “Court of Appeals”. Arizona Administrative Office of the Courts. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  6. ^ a b “Superior Court”. Arizona Administrative Office of the Courts. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  7. ^ a b “AZ Courts”. Arizona Administrative Office of the Courts. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  8. ^ “Justice Courts”. Arizona Administrative Office of the Courts. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  9. ^ “City Courts”. Arizona Administrative Office of the Courts. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  10. ^ “Judicial Vacancies and Appointments”. Arizona State Legislature. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  11. ^ “Option for counties with less than two hundred fifty thousand persons”. Arizona State Legislature. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  12. ^ “Voters in Coconino County choose merit selection for judges”. The Associated Press. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  13. ^ “Supreme court; term of office”. Arizona State Legislature. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  14. ^ “Superior court; term of office”. Arizona State Legislature. Retrieved 30 November 2023.


source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Arizona