Candidate Information

Recall Election for Gadsden Elementary School District No. 32 Board Members Scheduled for November 4, 2025

Post Date:03/28/2025 1:30 PM

Recall Election for Gadsden Elementary School District No. 32 Board Members Scheduled for November 4, 2025

YUMA COUNTY, AZ – The minimum number of signatures required to recall Gadsden Elementary School District No. 32 board members Luis Marquez and Liliana Arroyo has been met. The recall petitions have been officially filed with the Yuma County School Superintendent’s Office.

The previously announced election date of May 20, 2025, has been postponed to November 4, 2025, to ensure compliance with public notice requirements. Election regulations mandate that a call for election be published no later than 150 days before the election date within the designated election district.

The two school members being recalled have notified the School Superintendent that they are not resigning from their elected seats and will run in the recall election.

Further election details, including polling place location(s) and the deadline to request an early ballot, will be announced in the coming months. For candidate filing information and other election-related inquiries, please visit www.yumacountyaz.gov or contact the Yuma County School Superintendent’s Office at (928) 373 – 1006.

For additional information, please contact Ms. Arlyn Galaviz at (928) 373-1111 or via email at Arlyn.Galaviz@yumacountyaz.gov.

School Governing Board Qualifications

Pursuant to ARS 15-421 (C), a person is eligible to run for a school governing board seat in Arizona when they meet the following qualifications:

Registered voter in the state of Arizona
Resident of the school district for at least one year immediately preceding the day of election

School governing board members cannot be an employee of the school district or be a spouse of a school district employee, including a person who directly provides certified or classified services to the school district as an employee of a third-party contractor.

Statement of Interest

According to ARS 16-311 (H), candidates must file a 2024 Statement of Interest Form with the Yuma County School Superintendent's Office before collecting nomination petition signatures.

CLICK HERE to view statement of interest filings for the 2024 election.

Statements of Organization (Campaign Finance)

• Must be filed ONLY when a candidate receives contributions OR makes expenditures – in any combination – of at least $1,400 for the 2024 General Election Cycle.
• Candidates who will NOT reach the $1,400 threshold are NOT required to file a Statement of Organization.
• If a candidate reaches the threshold, the Statement of Organization must be filed with the Yuma County Elections Department located at 102 S Main Street, Yuma.

More information regarding Campaign Finance can be found on the Yuma County Website

Filing Petition Signatures

The candidate filing period for the November 5, 2024 election begins Monday, June 10, 2024 at 8:00 a.m. and closes Monday, July 8, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. The filing location is the Yuma County School Superintendent’s Office located at 210 S. 1st Avenue, Yuma, AZ 85364. Candidates must file all required documents on time or their names WILL NOT appear on the ballot.

Candidates must file the following original documents with our office in order for their name to appear on the ballot:

2024 Nonpartisan Petition Signature Requirements

Candidate Withdrawal

School Board candidates who decide to have their name removed from the ballot must submit a notarized Statement of Withdrawal to the Yuma County School Superintendent's Office.

Once a candidacy is withdrawn, if the candidate has registered a campaign committee, the committee is required to continue filing campaign finance reports until/unless the committee is terminated.
Candidates who withdraw their name from the ballot cannot run as a write-in candidate for the same office.

Cancellation of School Governing Board Election

If only one or no candidate files qualified nomination papers for a school district governing board member position by 5:00 PM on July 22,2024, our office will recommend cancellation of the election to the Yuma County Board of Supervisors (BOS).

Under these circumstances, the candidate who has filed in a timely and appropriate manner may be appointed as if elected by the BOS to fill the school district’s governing board position (ARS 15-424 (D)). If no candidate files and the BOS opts to cancel the election, the vacancy shall be filled through the appointment process conducted by the County School Superintendent (ARS 15-424 (D) and 15-302).

Candidate Statements

Pursuant to ARS 15-421 (F), each candidate whose name has been certified to appear on the election ballot/write-in list may submit the following:

1. A recent photograph.

2. A typewritten or electronic statement, not to exceed 500 words.

3. A disclosure of any relationships by affinity, by consanguinity or by law to the third degree that exist between the candidate and any current governing board members or other candidates for election to the same governing board.

Certified Candidates may begin submitting the information described above NO EARLIER THAN Tuesday, July 9, 2024 and NO LATER THAN 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 12, 2024.

A signed hard copy of the candidate's statement can be delivered to our office or may be sent via email to ckautzer@apscc.org from the candidate's email address on file with the Yuma County School Superintendent's Office.

2024 Candidates Handbook

Signature Requirements -- Official based on January 3, 2024

Nomination Paper

Nonpartisan Nomination Petition

Nonpartisan Nomination Petition - Spanish

Candidate Statement of Interest

Candidate Filing Checklist

Write-In Candidate Form

Recall Application