State Feed: Arizona

Arizona: Tobin Measure Last-Ditch Effort for New Political Maps

AmandaKathryn — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:53:44 -0500

A proposal by House Speaker Andy Tobin may give Republicans one last chance to rid themselves of congressional and legislative maps they’ve fought so hard to eliminate. The Paulden Republican wants a November ballot measure that would overhaul the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission.

Arizona: Ballot Initiative Proposes New Taxes on Alcohol

AmandaKathryn — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:08:59 -0500

Arizona voters could get to decide if they want to tax themselves — at least if they drink — to help keep kids from drinking and prevent alcohol abuse.

Initiative papers filed Tuesday with the state would create a new tax of 25 cents a gallon on hard liquor and a dollar a gallon on beer and wine.

Proceeds would be earmarked for specific community programs.

Backers have until July 5 to gather the 172,809 valid signatures necessary to put the question on the November ballot.

Arizona: Casino legalization measure could go on ballot

Trevor Ford — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:52:44 -0500

A group wants to ask Arizona voters to allow gambling at private casinos and racetracks. The 50-page initiative was filed with the state Friday, but a leader of the effort says a revised version will be filed Tuesday to make changes that include a new name for the group. Organizers would have to collect nearly 173,000 signatures for the measure to go on the November ballot.

Read the story from the Sacramento Bee

Arizona citizen’s initiative pushes for solar tax incentive scheme in 2012 ballot

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 15:02:36 -0400

A political action group in Arizona is gearing up to enter a citizen’s initiative in the state’s 2012 elections, which would allow individuals using solar power to trade environmental credits in exchange for discounts on income tax, while making solar more affordable.

The “Go Solar in Arizona” Economic Development Initiative, initiated by the Arizona Solar Power Society, has been filed before the office of the Arizona Secretary of State for inclusion on the Arizona 2012 ballot, to offer voters a chance to vote yes in favor of the initiative.

Arizona: Property taxes could make their way to ballot

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:53:30 -0400

Another try to have Arizona voters consider a property tax relief measure is under way. Prop 13 Arizona Chairwoman Lynne Weaver on Monday filed papers with the Secretary of State’s Office to launch a campaign to qualify the proposal for the next general election ballot. Similar efforts fell short of qualifying for the ballot in 2008 and 2010.

Read the story from Bloomberg

Arizona: Initiative proposed for increas in income tax credit

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 12:57:20 -0400

Solar energy advocates are proposing a ballot measure to increase Arizona’s income tax credit for solar energy devices and create a new trading exchange for the state to sell energy credits at a profit. Supporters of the initiative must collect petition signatures of 172,809 voters by July 5, 2012 to qualify the measure for the 2012 general election ballot.

Read the story from Bloomberg Business Week

Arizona: Labor suing Arizona over citizen approval of union changes

Tue, 10 May 2011 18:18:25 -0400

Claiming preemption by federal law, the National Labor Relations Board filed suit Friday to void a voter-approved state constitutional amendment spelling out that unions can be formed in Arizona only by secret ballot. The lawsuit, filed in federal court, says the measure mandating elections by affected workers would eliminate the option that now exists for employers to recognize a union without having an election. That, according to attorneys for the NLRB, runs afoul of federal law.

Read the story from the Verde Independent

Arizona: Public campaign funding will go to voters

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 18:09:52 -0400

A proposal to effectively gut Arizona’s public campaign funding system is going onto the state’s 2012 general election ballot. The Senate’s 22-7 vote Monday completes legislation action on the referendum. The House approved it last Thursday. The action came as legislators worked to end their 2011 regular session, possibly as early as Tuesday.

Read the story from KSAZ 10

Arizona Governor Brewer Could Face Recall

Staff — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 14:00:01 -0500

As new research from Ballotpedia.com shows, electoral recall is being used more frequently by citizens looking to hold government officials accountable. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is the latest recall target.

Arizona: New hurdle proposed for petition signature gathering

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 11:13:31 -0500

A state lawmaker wants a new hurdle for individuals and groups who propose their own state laws and constitutional amendments. HCR 2005, proposed by Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, would require that at least half of the signatures needed to put future issues on the ballot be gathered by those who have not been paid for their efforts. Petition drives that get the necessary signatures but can’t meet that volunteer threshold would be disqualified.

Read the story from the Yuma Sun

Arizona: Recount confirms Prop 112 defeat at the polls

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 11:27:41 -0500

The recount result is in and confirms the defeat of Proposition 112 at the state polls in November. The measure would have shortened the amount of time to file citizens-initiative petitions before the general election by two months. The recount was the first statewide ballot-proposition recount in a general election.

Read the story from KSAZ 10

Arizona Recount Confirms Prop 112 Defeat

Staff — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 19:36:24 -0500

Arizona Proposition 112, which would have forced petition proponents to turn in signatures two months earlier than they currently do, has been confirmed in a recount to have been defeated. The legislatively referred constitutional amendment triggered the state’s first-ever recount of a ballot initiative because the margin was less than 200 votes. Final results of the recount were certified today by a Maricopa County (Phoenix) judge showing the measure to have lost by 194 votes.

Arizona: Citizen looks to initiative for rezoning issue

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 12:01:32 -0500

After multiple requests to rezoning his residential property on Vermeersch Road to commercial were voted down, T.C. Thorstenson decided to register a political action committee called Citizens for a Commercial Event Center, and proceeded to collect initiative petition signatures as a means to rezone his property. Thorstenson showed up at town hall to turn in his petitions on Dec. 8 with approximately 135 signatures only to learn the deadline was Nov. 8 for any initiative to appear on the March ballot.

Read the story from Sonoran News

Prop 112 Recount Will Be First in Arizona History

Staff — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 10:43:40 -0500

As you may remember, we opposed Arizona’s Proposition 112 which was on the state ballot earlier this month. The proposition would have shortened the amount of time citizens have to collect petition signatures. The proposition lost by less than 200 votes so a recount is mandatory.

The interesting thing about this recount of the election results for Proposition 112 is that it will be the first in state history for a ballot measure:

Matsusaka: Legislators More Easily Influenced by Special Interests Than Voters

Staff — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 09:37:22 -0500

When calling for restrictions on the voter initiative process, initiative opponents often pull out the tired old argument that citizen initiatives lack the amount of deliberation and consideration that is said to accompany the traditional legislative process. Because they have committee hearings, legislators make better laws - or so the story goes.

Arizona: Proposition recount to being after certification

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 11:48:38 -0500

Election officials across Arizona will have to process 1.75 million ballots again to determine whether the deadline for submitting citizens’ ballot initiatives will move up by two months. Proposition 112 trailed by just 123 votes in unofficial returns, setting up the first statewide general election recount anyone in the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office can recall.

Read the story from The White Mountain Independent

Arizona: Initiatives begin to qualify for 2011 ballots

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:15:24 -0500

Councilman Doug Stavoe’s initiative for council term limits has been certified to appear on the March 8 ballot as Proposition 421. Stavoe believes term limits will provide more opportunities for citizens to become involved in the town’s government and, as a result, more will be informed as to how the town operates. Jim Peirce’s two property tax initiatives have also been certified to appear on the March ballot.

Read the story from Sonoran News

Arizona: Overview of ballot measure results in the state

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 14:52:00 -0400

A ballot measure allowing medical marijuana was too close to call late Tuesday night. Proposition 203 was failing by about 7,200 votes out of more than 1.2 million cast. Andrew Myers, campaign manager for the Arizona Marijuana Policy Project, the main group supporting the measure, said later returns could still pull Proposition 203 ahead. “I think the right votes will come in,” he said. The measure’s detractors also were confident.

Read the story from the East Valley Tribune

VICTORY! Voters in Arizona, Oklahoma Move to Protect Petition Rights

Staff — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 09:19:14 -0400

With the defeat of two measures that would have curtailed Arizonans’ petition rights and the narrow passage of an amendment streamlining Oklahoma’s initiative process, yesterday’s election went quite well for petition rights advocates.

Citizens in Charge Foundation President Calls on 12 States to End Unconstitutional Election Laws

Staff — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:43:47 -0400

Last week Citizens in Charge Foundation - a partner organization to Citizens in Charge - sent a letter to Secretaries of State and Attorneys General in 12 states asking them to stop enforcing unconstitutional restrictions on ballot initiative rights. In light of recent legal action in which Kansas officials agreed with petition advocates that the state’s law against petition circulators from other states was unconstitutional, Foundation President Paul Jacob asked officials to “do the right thing” and stop enforcing similar