History
Arizona acquired statewide initiative, referendum, and recall rights at
the time of statehood in 1912. Equity mentions “Hon. A. C. Baker of
Phoenix” as a leader of the local direct democracy movement.
The first initiative was for women’s suffrage, and it passed by a margin
of greater than two to one on November 5, 1912. Two years later, in 1914,
a total of 15 initiatives qualified for the Arizona ballot: a record for initiative
use in that state.