The process is underway to fill a vacancy at the Arizona Legislature left by former Rep. Jevin Hodge, who resigned Tuesday after The Arizona Republic reported on sexual misconduct sanctions from his days as a university student.

Efforts to reform the process are also underway at the state Capitol. Lawmakers are working on a bill that would clarify a once rarely-used process that has led to confusion and has sparked renewed interest in revamping the whole system.

On Saturday morning, Democratic precinct committee members in Legislative District 8 nominated three women to replace Hodge.

They are Janeen Connolly, Kendra Flory and Deborah Nardozzi.

All three portrayed themselves as ready to jump into the legislative session. Lawmakers are nearly three months into their annual work.

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Connolly is already a candidate for the House seat in the July 30 primary. She told the online meeting of precinct committee members that as she has campaigned over the last eight months, education has emerged as the top concern of district voters.

“I understand the word represent is within the title of the office,” she said.

Flory is currently the second vice chair of the District 8 Democrats. She touted her volunteer work, including on dementia issues. She also helped form the “bike bus,” an effort that encourages multiple families to bike with their kids to school, creating safety in numbers.

Flory has filed her intent to run in July.

Nardozzi has a deep background in the political world, including organizing, conducting political trainings and running campaigns. She was the chair of Legislative District 24 until redistricting in 2021 redrew boundaries.

She said she’s ready to take on legislative work full time, as she is not running any campaigns.

“I have mentors waiting for me to walk in through those doors and support me,” she said.

Nardozzi was one of the three nominees selected in January when the district held its first vote to fill a legislative vacancy. Hodge was ultimately won the appointment.

All three names will be sent to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. The board must appoint one to fill out Hodge’s term, which runs until early January.

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What issue do lawmakers see with the process?

This is the eighth time in the current two-year legislative session that county boards of supervisors have had to fill vacancies.

It’s been a stress test, of sorts. That prompted state Sen. J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, to write a bill clarifying some of the issues that have arisen.

For example, what does a “day” mean? The current law references a “business day” as well as a “day”. That created confusion over how much time various steps in the replacement process would require.

Mesnard’s Senate Bill 1278 makes it clear by referring to calendar days.

The churn of replacements also highlighted another inconsistency. While there are strict time frames within which the secretary of state, political party chairs and precinct committee members must act, there is no deadline for the last stop in the chain: the county boards of supervisors.

Mesnard’s bill gives them seven calendar days to pick one of the three nominees. He’s had pushback from the boards, but it’s important to get a replacement seated promptly, he said.

“My sympathy level for their inconvenience only goes so far,” Mesnard told a House committee of the supervisors’ complaints. He said the dozens of precinct committee members and others involved in the replacement process have to convene quickly. So should the supervisors, especially when there are only three or five people involved.

The supervisors have said they need time to do a proper vetting, including background checks, to ensure a qualified nominee is appointed.

Last year, the supervisors took 2 1/2 weeks to appoint someone to fill a House vacancy created when Rep. Liz Harris, R-Chandler, was expelled. That played out deep into the legislative session, when bills were piling up for final votes. With one Republican gone, the GOP lost the needed 31 votes required to pass legislation until Julie Willoughby was ultimately appointed.

“You can really feel it when someone is out,” Mesnard said.

His bill has passed the Senate and is awaiting a vote of the full House of Representatives.

Could the replacement process change in the future?

It may not be the final word on legislative replacements, a process that has morphed over the decades. As they debated the bill, some lawmakers said they favor putting the replacement power in the hands of elected precinct committee members.

Rep. Austin Smith, R-Waddell, noted those members are the closest to the people, since they’re elected by members of each legislative district.

Rep. Cesar Aguilar, D-Phoenix, found rare common ground with Smith. He, too, said lawmakers in future years should consider removing the supervisors from the process and letting the precinct committee members be in charge.

Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-228-7566 and follow her on Threads as well as on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @maryjpitzl.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 3 nominees selected to replace Jevin Hodge in Arizona House