Thank you for your interest in running as an AZ Green Party candidate for public office here in Arizona. It takes a tremendous amount of courage, commitment, and determination to run as an independent, uncorrupted fighter for people, planet, and peace in our current political landscape. We are always recruiting for new and inspiring candidates who are up to the challenge of running for office, both when we're on the ballot and/or as write-ins, and from local races all the way to our presidential ticket. Whether we win or lose, Green Party candidates and campaigns are an essential factor in growing the party, as well as promoting our policy platform and our Ten Key Values. Per our bylaws, any registered and dues-paying member of the AZGP that wants to run for office with our support may have their candidacy considered for our party's official endorsement.
AZGP is Back on the Ballot & Recruiting for 2024 Candidates
As a newly qualified political party, AZGP is entitled by Arizona law (A.R.S. § 16-801B) to a spot on the ballot for all legislative, statewide, and federal races in the State of Arizona for the next two ensuing General Elections (2024 & 2026). For the 2024 election cycle, this includes all of the following offices;
- President of the United States
- United States Senate
- United States House of Representatives
- Arizona Corporation Commissioner
- Arizona Senate
- Arizona House of Representatives
This puts us in a unique position amongst AZ's currently recognized political parties, as it makes it easier than ever for Green Party candidates to get on the General Election ballot in November.
Here's how AZGP candidates can "write-in-to-win" in the AZ Primary Election and easily advance to the General Election ballot in November:
Typically, candidates from political parties with continuing representation on the ballot (in AZ, those parties are the Democrats, Republicans, & Libertarians) are required to collect a minimum amount of valid signatures from registered members of their party that ranges from 0.25%-0.5% of the registered members of their party in order to qualify for the primary election ballot. Then, after already spending all that money, time, and energy collecting signatures, those candidates still have to compete in and win their primary in order to advance to the General Election in November.
By filing as an official write-in candidate for the July 30th, 2024 AZ primary election, a candidate who is registered to vote with the Green Party in AZ can bypass these burdensome qualification requirements and win their primary to advance to the General Election without collecting any signatures and by receiving only a plurality of write-in votes (assuming that there are no other recognized Green Party candidates who have officially filed for that race).
This means that, if you are the only registered Green who has filed the necessary paperwork to be recognized by the State of Arizona as an official candidate in your race/district, you can win your primary with only one vote- you can even just vote for yourself!
If you are a registered Green that is interested in running for legislative, statewide, or federal office in 2024, but are hesitant due to the amount of time, effort, and funds it takes just to simply get on the ballot, we strongly recommend utilizing this “Write-In-To-Win” strategy rather than the traditional process of collecting nominating signatures.
If we don’t fill our own ballot line with legitimate Green Party candidates in every possible race, it leaves an opportunity for individuals who are not representative of our party and its values to hijack our newly guaranteed place on the ballot by simply registering Green and exploiting this same legal quirk. We've seen dirty tricks like this before from the AZGOP, and we can't let them do it again.
To prevent this from happening, we need as many Greens as possible to step up and file the paperwork to run for office in 2024.
Any and all levels of campaigning are acceptable, and there is no experience required to run for office with AZGP. If you live in Arizona and are registered to vote with the Green Party, support our platform, share our values, and you are legally eligible for the race you'd like to run in, then you're perfectly qualified to be one of our 2024 candidates.
We are more than willing to help you with whatever amount of campaigning you are able to commit to, even if all you're able to do is file the paperwork and be a name on the ballot.
Registered AZGP members who would like to run for legislative, statewide, or federal office using this "write-in-to-win" strategy must file a "Write-In Candidate Nomination Paper/Declaration of Qualification", as well as a "Financial Disclosure Statement" through the AZ Secretary of State’s online Candidate Portal.
The filing period for write-in candidates who want to run in the July 30th Primary Election begins on March 3rd, 2024 and closes on June 20th, 2024 at 5PM.
If you are registered to vote with the Arizona Green Party and are interested in running for legislative, statewide, or federal office in 2024 with the endorsement/support of AZGP, or if you are curious about running for office as a Green and want to learn more about the process, please reach out to us via email ([email protected])!
In order for the AZGP to maintain our statewide party recognition and ballot access beyond the 2026 General Election, we need to either;
A.) Run a Green Party candidate for the office of U.S. President (2024 cycle) or AZ Governor (2026 cycle) and receive more than 5% of the total votes cast, or,
B.) Register more than two-thirds of a percent (0.67%) of the total amount of registered voters in the State of Arizona as members of the Green Party by no later than October 31st of 2026.
Getting Started
The first thing you'll want to do if you plan on running for office as an AZGP candidate is, of course, choosing the race you'd like to run in. Learn as much as you can about that office, including all of its powers, duties, areas of jurisdiction, and limitations. If you haven't already, it's good to take these early steps to also get involved with your community, get as informed as possible about the issues that voters in your community are concerned with, and learn more about the political landscape and background of the current officeholder(s) that you plan on contesting. It's best to start this process as early as possible or practicable for your particular election (~1yr. in advance of your election date is recommended, but not required). Campaigns are a marathon, not a sprint, so starting your campaign early and at a steady pace can give you a huge head start and advantage come election day.
From there, you should proceed to file the appropriate nomination paperwork with your local, county, or state elections official before the filing deadline for your race. For candidates who wish to have their names appear on the ballot, this paperwork may include a Statement of Interest (to be filed prior to collecting any candidate-specific ballot access signatures), a Financial Disclosure Statement, and the submission of a required number of valid signatures supporting your candidacy before the filing deadline. For official/qualified write-in candidates that do not intend on collecting signatures, a Statement of Interest is not necessary to be filed, but a Nomination of Write-In Candidacy and Financial Disclosure Statement must still be filed with the appropriate elections official by the write-in candidate nomination deadline. Once the necessary paperwork has been filed and processed, you will officially be considered a qualified candidate for public office in AZ!
Seeking AZGP's Endorsement
Once you've filed the necessary paperwork and are officially recognized as a qualified candidate for public office, you'll want to fill out the form at the bottom of this page. Your answers will be posted on this website (excluding personal information).
The Arizona Green Party (AZGP) endorsement process for Green candidates is as follows:
1. At least 14 days prior to the AZGP meeting in which consideration of candidates will occur, an announcement shall be issued in the AZGP e-newsletter of the upcoming vote for candidate endorsement/s.
2. Per our bylaws, candidate must be a registered and dues-paying Arizona Green Party member in order to be considered for or receive an endorsement.
3. Candidate(s) should attend the AZGP meeting when this issue will be considered.
4. After sufficient discussion, a vote among all those present who are registered and dues-paying AZGP members shall be held. If consensus is not reached, then further discussion shall take place in order to hear out concerns of the minority, after which another vote shall take place. A super majority of 67% of the AZGP general membership will be required in order for the candidate to receive an official AZGP endorsement.
5. Green candidates who are not endorsed may also be rated, as “actively opposed”, or remain unrated.
If the candidate is in attendance, they are also requested to provide the above information.
It is expected that all officially endorsed candidates agree to uphold our values and expectations of conduct during the course of their campaign as official acting spokespersons of the AZGP. Any and all endorsements are subject to review and/or revocation at any time if the candidate is deemed to be in violation of these expectations (67% majority support of the AZGP State Committee and/or general membership required for revocation of endorsements to occur).
Campaigning
Once the AZGP has endorsed your candidacy, our Political Campaigns Committee will assist you in running the rest of your campaign by supplying your campaign team with any platforms, tools, personnel, information, training, or other resources we can offer.