GOP Club meeting To Review Propositions with Goldwater Institute, DeSimone, September 10th

SBINSIDER NEWS\ANALYSIS | August 31st, 2024

Arizona was inducted into the Union in 1912. At that time, the political ferment was imbued with what was considered “progressivism“. The biggest changes in that era where direct election of Senators (17th amendment, a big mistake) and the enactment of the Federal Income Tax (16th) which lead to the American Empire we enjoy today. We also enacted Prohibition which really worked out well, creating a permanent criminal class of alcohol and then drug dealers.

Arizona included in its Constitution the ability of citizens to directly make laws via ballot propositions. This was considered progressive in that the citizens could bypass the legislature which was either obdurate or behind the cultural curve ( i.e. legalization of marijuana). The reaction over time has been mixed as to whether this ability has been used to benefit the people. But generally, most Arizonan’s do like the it, except for the actual wording of the propositions on which you are asked vote. They can be confusing (sometimes deliberately) and so the Arizona Secretary of State sends out a pamphlet with the wording and arguments by citizens for and against.

What follows is the list of what ballot propositions will appear for your consideration and the recommendations of SBINSIDER. Subscribers are welcome to add their comments.

Prop 139: Abortion is a right: No

The Arizona Supreme Court said the Arizona for Abortion Access Act, the citizen initiative that would make abortion a right, until birth. (Since Roe v. Wade was passed in 1973, 50 million abortions have occurred and even with the repeal of Roe by the Dobbs decision, in 2022 approximately 1 million more were performed.

Prop 314: Talking tough about the border : Yes 

Despite a plethora of legal challenges, The Border Security Act made the ballot. It would allow local police to arrest people suspected of crossing the border illegally. This initiative was drafted by GOP lawmakers to get past Governor Hobb’s promised veto.

Prop 140 and 133: The battle over primary elections: YES to 133, NO to 140 

The justices on Thursday also gave the green light to the “open primary” citizen initiative (Prop 140), which would eliminate partisan primaries and require every candidate to run against every other candidate in a primary. Backers of the proposition say they’re hoping to make it harder for extreme candidates to get into office simply by winning a primary where only the most hardcore voters tend to show up.

But voters also will weigh in on an opposing measure (Prop 133) that would essentially ban what Prop 140 is trying to do. This one was written by GOP lawmakers as the popularity of “ranked choice voting” started to catch on.

Prop 134: An Electoral College for Signatures: No

Backers of a citizen initiative would have to spread out to every part of the state, instead of focusing on the big cities-Phoenix, Pima. But it also would\could mean voters in a tiny district could have outsized power and could block an initiative for the entire state.

Prop 135: Lawmakers decide what’s an emergency: Yes 

The governor would need legislators’ approval to extend a state of emergency (fire and floods not included). Lawmakers already limited the length of health emergencies during the COVID pandemic. Opponents say it would be a problem for the long-term response to an emergency.

Prop 136: Only we get to make laws: No 

Lawmakers would have the chance to preemptively stop citizen initiatives from getting on the ballot. They could ask a court to rule on the constitutionality of the initiative beforehand, rather than after voters approve it, which is the case now. If this were the law right today, lawmakers could have sued to stop the abortion rights measure from getting on the ballot.

Prop 137: Voters can’t remove judges: No 

A commission would make those decisions for the Arizona Supreme Court, appellate court judges, and judges in Coconino, Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties. Most notably, if the proposition is approved, voters would have no say about whether two Arizona Supreme Court justices who voted to restore the 1864 abortion ban, and are up for re-election this year, would keep their seats.

Prop 311: Backing the Blue: Yes 

The state would pay $250,000 to the spouse or children of a first responder who died in the line of duty.

Prop 312: Fix homelessness, or we keep our money: Yes

Property owners would get a refund of their property taxes if officials don’t enforce certain public nuisance laws.

Prop 313: Child sex trafficking: Yes 

Impose life sentences for child sex trafficking. This one was inspired by the “Sound of Freedom” movie. 

Prop 315: Too much regulation: Yes 

Put in place more oversight of any regulation proposed by a state agency that costs more than $500,000 over five years.

Editor’s Note: The Republican Club has invited Chris DeSimone and Austin VanDerHeyden of The Goldwater Institute to review their opinions on the list of propositions. The meeting will be at Desert View Theater with the program beginning at 3:30, Tuesday, September 10th. Due to HOA2 regulations, you must be a club member to attend.

Click here to get information on joining.