3 propositions would make it easier for Arizona's rich and powerful to control you
Arizonans want free and fair elections.
More than 400,000 voters made that abundantly clear by signing petitions to support the Arizona Fair Elections Act. This reflects nearly twice the number of signatures required to secure a place on the ballot.
Unfortunately, special interests leveraged their influence, and this summer we saw the measure taken off the ballot by our state’s packed Supreme Court. This action was nothing short of voter suppression in service of more voter suppression.
Despite the setback, we’re not done fighting for our democracy.
These 3 measures would strip your power
We have competitive races up and down the ticket – races where it’s crucial to prevent election deniers from exerting their power and influence. We’re getting folks registered and knocking on doors to prevent these partisan operatives from undermining voters, instead electing people who believe in the tenets of our democracy.
We’re also harnessing our collective outrage and directing it toward preventing anti-democracy ballot measures from becoming law. Propositions 128, 129 and 132 would all strip more power from communities to preserve the influence of wealthy corporations and special interests.
Another view: Special interests drive initiatives. Is that what we want?
These measures were all referred to voters by the state Legislature and are explicitly designed to further dilute the power of everday Arizonans to affect change in our state. We’ve proven the power of our people through efforts to legalize marijuana and raise our minimum wage while providing sick leave to workers – policies that help relieve the unjust burdens disproportionately faced by working families and communities of color.
The wealthy and well-connected have seen the power of direct democracy in action. They know it’s only a matter of time before it’s used to diminish their ability to influence our government. That’s why they’re working so hard to make the democratic process more cumbersome and less accessible.
Smoking ban would've never passed under this
Propositions 128, 129 and 132 would stymie progress and severely limit Arizonans’ ability to affect change at the highest levels of state government.
Proposition 128 would give the Arizona Legislature free rein to amend, divert funds from or supersede a ballot measure enacted by Arizona voters at the whims of the state and U.S. supreme courts.
Proposition 129 would limit an initiative to a single subject. This sounds sensible enough, but in practice it would make it extremely difficult to enact meaningful policy reform through the ballot initiative process.
Take Arizona’s indoor smoking ban as an example. That measure amended multiple sections of the Arizona Revised Statutes. Had that initiative been required to meet the standards of Proposition 129, it would have been split into a dozen separate efforts because laws about public buildings, universities, schools, bars, hospitals, office buildings and retail stores are all different sections of state statutes.
The same is true of Arizona’s Marijuana Legalization Initiative, where possession of marijuana is covered by a different part of state law from the section that regulates cannabis sales. And under Proposition 129, instead of the revenue being given to community colleges, public health or public safety as voters directed, our taxpayer dollars would have been controlled by the Legislature for their pet projects.
Proposition 129 would create a messy patchwork of state policies, where some laws would change while others wouldn’t. This would give the Legislature even more power and influence over these policies.
Say no to Propositions 128, 129 and 132
Finally, Proposition 132 would require initiatives that create a tax to receive at least 60% of votes cast to become law. This policy heavily favors wealthy corporations and special interests, giving them an unfair advantage to hamper measures aimed at ensuring they pay their fair share of taxes.
This attack on our democracy follows a national effort to dilute direct democracy. In 2021 alone, state lawmakers filed more than 140 bills to change ballot initiative processes.
Make no mistake: The old boys club that’s used to pulling the strings here in Arizona is out of touch and they know it. They’re fueling their campaigns with lies and conspiracy theories to stoke fear and mistrust in our institutions. And they’re promoting ballot initiatives that are thinly veiled attempts to undermine our democracy.
We see right through their political theater and you should too.
Propositions 128, 129 and 132 are bad deals for Arizona voters. Enacting these measures would claw back decades of advancement and make it almost impossible for everyday citizens to drive change in our state government.
Say no to 128, nope to 129, and hell no to 132.
Laura Dent is the coalition director of Activate 48. Reach her at laura@activate48.org. The column is co-authored by Alex Gomez, executive director of Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA); Sena Mohammed, chief of staff of Our Voice, Our Vote AZ.; Vianey Olivarria, state co-director of Chispa Arizona; Carolina Rodriguez-Greer, Arizona state director of Mi Familia Vota. The groups make up Activate 48, a cohort of organizations working to engage New American Majority voters in Arizona.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Prop. 128, 129 and 132 make it easier for the rich to control you
