BISBEE — Can a candidate for office get his name on the ballot in both English and Spanish?
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The candidate in question is Joe Green of McNeal, who is one of several people running for the Board of Supervisors District 2 seat.
Green wrote on his candidacy form the name: Joe/Jose Green/Verde. Of course, his given name is not Jose Verde, the Spanish version of Joe Green.
Whatever Green’s reasoning, Deputy County Attorney Adam Ambrose states in a response to Schelling’s inquiry, “While it is beyond the scope of responsibility of (Schelling’s) office to verify candidate names, a candidate who chooses to file and list his name on the ballot in that manner runs the risk of being challenged by campaign opponents (or any other qualified elector) and, if the name he has listed is found not to be his actual surname and given name, being stricken from the ballot altogether.”
Arizona code specifies, Ambrose states, “The nomination paper shall include the exact manner in which the candidate desires to have the person’s name printed on the official ballot and shall be limited to the candidate’s surname and given name …”
Ambrose continues, “While we express no opinion as to whether the candidate in this case would violate the above referenced statutory requirement by listing his name in both English and as it would appear in Spanish, we would caution, as noted above, the candidate would leave his candidacy open to challenge by any elector who wished to seek an injunction …”
Ambrose advised Schelling to make Green aware of that fact, which he did. A letter was sent to Green on May 7.
Schelling said he spoke with Green, who decided that his name would appear on the ballot as “Green, Joe (Jose Verde).”
Green says he wanted to find a Hispanic person to run for the District 2 supervisor’s seat. He passed out fliers, visited businesses and ran ads seeking a candidate. When he could find no one, he decided to add a Spanish translation of his own name.
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