Opinion ID: 867337
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: What Address Information Must Signers Provide?

Text: ¶ 11 We must first determine what address information the legislature intended signers to provide on nominating petitions. Jenkins argues that the text of § 16-315(A)(4) requires either an actual residence address or a description of [a] place of residence, and that a post office box is neither. Jenkins also argues that other statutory language shows the legislature's intent that signers provide a residence address. Finally, Jenkins urges us to construe post office to exclude post office boxes because the statute seeks to facilitate the election official's determination of whether the signer is a qualified elector, and a post office box number does not further that purpose. ¶ 12 Hale, on the other hand, argues that § 16-315(A)(4) is written in the disjunctive and that post office is an alternative to actual residence address or description of place of residence, city, [or] town, and, therefore, it invites signers to provide post office box addresses. ¶ 13 Although the parties briefed and argued the case under § 16-315(A)(4), that section does not control the inquiry before us. It does, however, provide some guidance. Section 16-315(A)(4) sets forth the requirements for the form of the petition, which the petitions at issue in this case clearly satisfy. But § 16-315(A) does not specify what the signers of the petition must put in each column on the form. This lack of statutory guidance differs from the procedure for initiative, referendum, and recall elections, for which specific statutes dictate the information signers must provide on the petition forms. See Ariz. Const. art. 4, pt. 1, § 1(9) (requiring initiative and referendum petitions to contain a declaration, address, and date of signing). Compare A.R.S. §§ 19-101, -102 (2002) (describing form of petition), with A.R.S. § 19-112(A) (2002) (requiring signers of initiative and referendum petitions to write, in the appropriate spaces on the initiative or referendum petition, a residence address or a description of residence location), and A.R.S. § 19-205(A) (2002) (same for recall petitions). Section 16-315(A) therefore does not control the disposition of this case because the nominating petitions were prepared exactly as § 16-315(A) requires. ¶ 14 Nonetheless, the format required by § 16-315(A)(4), when considered with other provisions of the election statutes, provides guidance by suggesting that the legislature intended for signers to provide their residence address or a description of the residence location. Considered alone, § 16-315(A)(4) does not clearly require this information; the column heading indicates that a signer may provide either (1) an actual residence address or (2) a description of [a] place of residence, city, town or post office. This language arguably invites the signer to provide a description of [a] ... post office that is distinct from one's place of residence. ¶ 15 Other statutes, such as A.R.S. §§ 16-315(B)(4) and 16-321(D), however, shed light on the information desired. Section 16-315(B)(4) specifically requires the petition to include the circulator's actual residence address or, if no street address, a description of residence location. We see no reason that the legislature would desire different address information from circulators than from signers since the purpose of the address requirement is to determine whether the signer is a qualified elector and whether the circulator is qualified to register to vote. ¶ 16 Section 16-321(D) similarly suggests that an actual residence location was desired. That section requires the circulator to verify that the signer resides at the address given as the signer's residence. The address given evidently refers to the information beside the signer's name on the petition form. A circulator could not believe that a person resides at a post office box. ¶ 17 Instead, we believe that the legislature intended the signer to identify, on the nominating petition form, the signer's actual residence address or some description of its location, whether by reference to [a] place, or to the relevant city, town or post office. [2]