Phoenix, AZ – On Tuesday, March 3, 2026, the Arizona Secretary of State notified the Republican Party of Arizona of a vacancy in Legislative District 3 created by the resignation of Arizona State Representative Joseph Chaplik, who is seeking higher office. The Republican Party of Arizona is now responsible for swiftly coordinating a district vote to appoint a replacement.
The process is as follows:
- The Arizona Secretary of State notifies the Republican Party of Arizona chair.
- The Arizona GOP chair informs elected Precinct Committeemen in the departing lawmaker’s district of the vacancy.
- The AZGOP Chair works with the Legislative District 3 Chair to coordinate a date, time, and location for a meeting to nominate three qualified candidates, within five days of the initial notification from AZGOP.
- The AZGOP will forward the names of the three nominated candidates to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, who will appoint one of the three candidates nominated by the PCs as the new representative.
On March 3, 2026, Arizona’s Secretary of State, Adrian Fontes officially informed AZGOP Chairman Sergio Arellano of the vacancy that needs to be filled. After receiving the notification, Chairman Arellano contacted the chair of Legislative District 3 to inform elected Precinct Committeemen of their duty to nominate three qualified candidates within five days.
An official call letter for the meeting/election will be sent by the Republican Party of Arizona to Legislative District 3 by March 4, 2026, with a date, time, location, and other pertinent details.
The Republican Party of Arizona is focused on ensuring that the voters of Legislative District 3 are confident that the nomination process to fill the seat is fair and transparent.
“I want to begin by thanking Arizona State Representative Joseph Chaplik for his service to the people of Arizona,” stated Chairman Arellano. “The AZGOP team is committed to providing the Legislative District 3 team with any necessary support to ensure they are able to implement a fair and impartial process for selecting a new representative.”
“I will continue to monitor the situation closely after the nomination and appointment process, in order to provide any necessary support to ensure a smooth transition to the new representative for the people of Legislative District 3,” concluded Chairman Arellano.