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Resign-to-run laws require officeholders to resign from their current role in order to run for another. Nationwide, five states have resign-to-run laws—Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, and Texas.[ane]

Proponents of these requirements argue that officeholders should not divide their fourth dimension in office betwixt their official duties and their personal advancement. In addition, proponents worry that, absent-minded these laws, officeholders can unfairly leverage their present position against other candidates, while retaining that position as a fallback. Opponents, on the other hand, worry that the laws disproportionately effect those for whom public service is a total-fourth dimension job. For these individuals, quitting their nowadays position to campaign may not exist a financially viable option.[2] [three]

States

Arizona

Title 38, Article half dozen, Section 296 of the Arizona Revised Statutes states:

A. Except during the final year of the term being served, no incumbent of a salaried elective function, whether holding by election or engagement, may offer himself for nomination or ballot to any salaried local, land or federal role.

B. An incumbent of a salaried elected office shall be deemed to have offered himself for nomination or election to a salaried local, state or federal office on the filing of a nomination paper pursuant to section 16-311, subsection A. An incumbent of a salaried elected office is not deemed to accept offered himself for nomination or election to an role by making a formal declaration of candidacy for the office.

*Annotation: Changes passed by the legislature in 2013 let elected officials to publicly denote their candidacy for another office. Previously, they had to hibernate their intentions from voters, equally they would have had to resign upon formally announcing candidacy for a different office. Now they do non have to resign their current office unless they file formal nominating papers and are not in their terminal yr of office.[4] The text above reflects these changes.

Florida

Title Ix, Chapter 99, Section 99.012 of the Florida Statutes states:

(3)(a) No officer may qualify as a candidate for another state, district, county, or municipal public office if the terms or whatever part thereof run meantime with each other without resigning from the office he or she before long holds. (b)The resignation is irrevocable...(7) Nothing contained in subsection (3) relates to persons holding any federal office or seeking the office of President or Vice President.

Georgia

Commodity II, Department II, Paragraph IV of the Georgia Constitution states:

The office of any state, county, or municipal elected official shall be declared vacant upon such elected official qualifying, in a general primary or general election, or special primary or special election, for another state, county, or municipal constituent role or qualifying for the House of Representatives or the Senate of the United States if the term of the office for which such official is qualifying for begins more than 30 days prior to the expiration of such official's nowadays term of office.

Hawaii

Article II, Section seven of the Hawaii Constitution states:

Any elected public officer shall resign from that role earlier beingness eligible as a candidate for another public office, if the term of the office sought begins earlier the finish of the term of the office held.

In Cobb v. State by Watanabe the Hawaii Supreme Court clarified Section 7:

The question raised by this original proceeding is whether commodity II, section 7 of the Hawaii State Constitution requires Plaintiff Steve Cobb to resign his State Senate seat in order to become a candidate for the United States House of Representatives...We cannot say with any certainty that the drafters of article II, section 7 intended for it to apply to candidates for federal offices. In view of the uncertainty, we conclude that Cobb should non have to resign from the Country Senate in order to run for Congress.

Texas

Commodity 16, Section 65 of the Texas Constitution states:

(a) This section applies to the post-obit offices: District Clerks; County Clerks; Canton Judges; Judges of the County Courts at Law, Canton Criminal Courts, County Probate Courts and County Domestic Relations Courts; County Treasurers; Criminal Commune Attorneys; County Surveyors; Canton Commissioners; Justices of the Peace; Sheriffs; Assessors and Collectors of Taxes; District Attorneys; County Attorneys; Public Weighers; and Constables.

(b) If any of the officers named herein shall announce their candidacy, or shall in fact become a candidate, in any General, Special or Principal Election, for any office of profit or trust under the laws of this State or the United States other than the function then held, at any time when the unexpired term of the office then held shall exceed one year and 30 days, such announcement or such candidacy shall found an automatic resignation of the office and then held, and the vacancy thereby created shall be filled pursuant to law in the same fashion as other vacancies for such office are filled.

*Note: In 2011, Texas voters approved Proposition 10 amending this department. The text to a higher place reflects these changes.

See too

  • Elections
  • Ballot calendar
  • Election results

Footnotes

  1. Las Vegas Sun, "For politicians, less hazard in testing waters," March 15, 2011
  2. PennLive.com, "Reform advocates telephone call for resign-to-run law," May 16, 2010
  3. Texas House Research Organization, "Focus Study for Amendments Proposed in November 8, 2011 Election," July 20, 2011
  4. AzCapitolTimes.com, "Changes in Arizona's resign-to-run police unmuzzle candidates," September nineteen, 2013