Arizona Regulations § R2-20-108 Termination of Participating Candidate Status

A. A candidate may voluntarily request termination of his or her participating candidate status at any time prior to notification by the Commission that such candidate has qualified for Clean Elections funding. To withdraw from participating candidate status, a candidate shall send a letter to the Commission stating the candidate's intent to withdraw and the reason for the withdrawal. The candidate shall not accept any private monies until the withdrawal is approved by the Commission. The Commission shall act on the withdrawal request within seven days. If the Commission takes no action within the seven-day time period, the withdrawal is automatic.

B. A candidate's participating candidate status shall automatically terminate if:

C. A candidate whose participating candidate status has been terminated in accordance with this Section shall be ineligible to receive Clean Elections funding for that election cycle unless he/she reapplies for certification and is in compliance with R2-20-104(A) and (C).

D. In the event that a candidate who has collected qualifying contributions decides not to seek certification as a participating candidate, the candidate shall return all qualifying contributions received from contributors who have not given written permission to use their qualify contributions as campaign contributions. Written permission may include a check box on the original $5 form that authorizes a candidate to treat the qualifying contribution as a general campaign contribution if he or she decides not to participate in the Clean Elections system. If a good faith attempt to return the funds to the contributor is unsuccessful, the contributions shall be submitted to the Fund.