Vote to Save our Democracy:
What You Need to Know About Arizona's Ballot Propositions
Election Day, Nov. 8, is fast approaching. Early ballots are arriving in mailboxes all over Arizona.
There are propositions on the ballot...
Prop 128: Weakens the Voter Protection Act that gives Arizonans’ the constitutional right to enact citizens’ initiatives. It gives the legislature the ability to get rid of citizens’ initiatives after they have already been passed.
Prop 129: Limits citizens’ initiatives to a single subject and everything needs to be in the title of the initiative. There may be several points to an initiative. For example, an education funding bill might include several areas to be funded such as maintenance of buildings, teachers’ pay, books, and include where the money is coming from. That title would be too long to fit on a petition form.
Prop 132: A super majority is needed to pass a citizen’s initiative (60%) when all other bills require a majority. (In today’s political climate, it is almost impossible to get a super majority.)
Prop 309 adds additional, unnecessary levels of voter identification for mail-in ballots (birthday and voter ID number). This will require more processing and work for the recorder’s office. This bill also eliminates some forms of ID for in-person voting. Only a photo ID will be accepted.
Prop 131 creates the position of lieutenant governor (who is chosen by the governor, not by voters) in an attempt to cement a line of succession from lieutenant governor to governor for the party in power. If the governor leaves for a post in Washington or is impeached, his choice runs as an incumbent (though they haven’t actually been elected by the people. This is also more government.
Other props to consider:
There are propositions on the ballot...
- that were referred to the ballot by the Arizona Legislature that weaken our democracy and rights as Arizonans.
- Five of the legislative referrals are Constitutional Amendments.
The No’s are:
Prop 128, Prop 129, Prop 130, Prop 131, Prop 132, Prop 309
Prop 128: Weakens the Voter Protection Act that gives Arizonans’ the constitutional right to enact citizens’ initiatives. It gives the legislature the ability to get rid of citizens’ initiatives after they have already been passed.
Prop 129: Limits citizens’ initiatives to a single subject and everything needs to be in the title of the initiative. There may be several points to an initiative. For example, an education funding bill might include several areas to be funded such as maintenance of buildings, teachers’ pay, books, and include where the money is coming from. That title would be too long to fit on a petition form.
Prop 132: A super majority is needed to pass a citizen’s initiative (60%) when all other bills require a majority. (In today’s political climate, it is almost impossible to get a super majority.)
Prop 309 adds additional, unnecessary levels of voter identification for mail-in ballots (birthday and voter ID number). This will require more processing and work for the recorder’s office. This bill also eliminates some forms of ID for in-person voting. Only a photo ID will be accepted.
Prop 131 creates the position of lieutenant governor (who is chosen by the governor, not by voters) in an attempt to cement a line of succession from lieutenant governor to governor for the party in power. If the governor leaves for a post in Washington or is impeached, his choice runs as an incumbent (though they haven’t actually been elected by the people. This is also more government.
Other props to consider:
Prop 209: Interest Rate Limit on Debt from Healthcare Services and Collection Exempt Property and Earnings Increase Initiative. Reduces maximum interest rates on medical debt from 10% to no more than 3% per year; increases exemptions from all debt collection for certain personal assets, including a debtor’s home, household items, motor vehicle, and bank account from debt collection; decreasing the amount of disposable earnings subject to garnishment to no more than 10% of disposable earnings but allowing a court to decrease the disposable earnings subject to garnishment to 5% based on extreme economic hardship.
Prop 211: Voters Right to Know/Stop Dark Money. Campaign Finance Sources Disclosure Initiative Requires additional disclosures and reporting by entities and persons whose campaign media spending and/or in-kind contributions for campaign media spending exceeds $50,000 in statewide campaigns or $25,000 in other campaigns, including identifying original donors of contributions of more than $5,000 in aggregate; creating penalties for violations of the law; and allowing the Citizens Clean Elections Commission to adopt rules and enforce the provisions of the law.
Prop 310: Establishes a Fire District Safety Fund; increasing the Transaction Privilege (Sales) and Use Tax by one-tenth of one percent from January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2042 to pay for the Fund; and distributing monies from the Fund to fire districts on a monthly basis.
Prop 308: In-State Tuition for Non-Citizen Residents Measure. Allows any Arizona student, regardless of immigration status, to be eligible for in-state tuition at state universities and community colleges if they graduated from, and spent at least two years attending, an Arizona public or private high school, or homeschool equivalent; allowing any Arizona student, regardless of immigration status, to be eligible for state financial aid at state universities and community colleges.
This is a crucial election for Arizona and the United States. Your votes for candidates and propositions are very important. Please, know the candidates and the facts before you vote.
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