Supporters of public education, sound economic policy, and Democracy have less than a month to gather signatures for six ballot initiatives that would allow voters in 2022 to decide whether to repeal Republican-sponsored legislation that is designed to circumvent Invest in Education-Proposition 208, institute discredited fringe trickle-down economic tax cut policy, and obstruct Democracy by suppressing the right to vote.
These groups and volunteer activists have been working since shortly after the end of the 2021 Arizona State Legislative session persuade citizens to sign petitions that could:
- Stop the implementation of a statewide flat tax.
- Prevent wealthy families from declaring themselves small businesses to avoid paying the Prop 208 surcharge.
- Keep the Permanent Early Voting List intact.
- Have the Secretary of State maintain her powers.
- Allow counties to properly fund elections.
There is also a seventh petition that would put it to the voters to outlaw dark money contributions.
By September 28, 2021, activists need to gather 119,000 valid signatures for each ballot initiative to qualify for the 2022 ballot.
Education activists from both the Invest in Arizona coalition and the Arizona Education Association have also launched court challenges to these Republican legislative measures, asserting that measures to circumvent Proposition 208 and forbid school districts from adopting mask mandates to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus in the 2022 fiscal year budget violate the Arizona State Constitution and the Voter Protection Act.
Activists work to gather the 119,000 signatures for each Ballot Initiative.
Leaders from the Invest in Arizona Coalition (a group that includes pro-public education organizations like the Arizona Education Association, the Arizona Center for Economic Progress, The Children’s Action Alliance, Save Our Schools Arizona, Stand for Children, and the Arizona Interfaith Network) are confident that they will have the 119,000 valid signatures for each ballot initiative by September 28, 2021.
Joe Thomas, the head of the Arizona Education Association, stated that:
“We are on pace (to get the signatures.) Our coalition knows how to engage citizens around these petitions, just like many did with Proposition 305 and Invest in Education previously. We have the right group of people to get the job done. We are up against the heat and the pandemic, but the public’s unwavering support for students and schools is what keeps us out on the field.”
Rebecca Gau, the leader of Stand for Children Arizona, conveyed that voter enthusiasm to turn out and sign the ballot petitions “will continue to grow as long as we get closer. We are seeing an expansion of volunteers and petition signatures.”
Joe Rubio of the Arizona Interfaith Network stressed that volunteers were organizing small individual meetings, medium-sized small groups and study sessions, and large community events in order to gather the 119,000 signatures for each ballot initiative.
Please click here to see the dates and locations for the signature-gathering events near where you live.
Activists also take the Court Route to Overturn these Republican passed Measures.
With Ms. Gau saying that “voters deserve that we use every avenue possible to ensure their will is upheld,” the leaders of the Invest in Arizona Coalition are also seeking remedy in the courts, hoping the state judicial branch will find that the Republican attempts to circumvent the funding of Invest in Education-Proposition 208 via SB1783 (the measure that allows rich individuals or married couples to get around paying the Prop 208 surcharge by claiming to be a small business) violated the Voter Protection Act.
The Arizona Education Association, along with other plaintiffs are also suing the state in court with regards to the law, also passed within the state budget, that forbids school districts from instituting mask mandates.
Commenting on the mask suit, Mr. Thomas said “you should not have to fight your own state government over a mask mandate during a pandemic.”
He also relayed:
“During Governor Ducey’s terms, Republican legislators have been including more and more policy in their budget bills, a violation of the Arizona constitution. This year they not only broke their own rules, but they’re also risking breaking the whole system. Policies must move through a highly transparent process where they are openly debated and receive public input. Instead, they crammed all of their bad ideas into the budget bills so they would receive enough votes to pass. That is reckless and against the Constitution. It must stop.”
The lead attorney for the plaintiffs in both suits, Roopali Desai of Coppersmith Brockelman PLC, largely echoed the position of Mr. Thomas and stated that the measures like SB1783 and the forbidding of mask mandates “were unlawfully passed because they did not go through the constitutional process.”
When asked if recent court rulings in Florida and Texas against their Republican Governor’s COVID 19 non-mask policy would influence the court in Arizona (the first hearing is scheduled for September 13, 2021,) Ms. Desai commented that “none of those cases will impact Arizona but there is clearly a recognition that Governor should not be using his authority to interfere in the public health sphere. Let the experts in the health care and schools do their jobs and protect citizens.”
Moving Forward
There is a little over three weeks to go to collect the 119,000 valid signatures for the six ballot initiatives that will stop Republican-led efforts against increased public education funding, sound fiscal management, and Democracy.
Arizona residents that care about all three need to go to one of the Invest in Arizona and Arizona Deserves Better events and sign all six petitions to get these measures on the 2022 ballot. They also need to educate their neighbors and friends about what is at stake and the action to take.
Afterward, they need to spread the word about the merits of each petition and help turn out as many voters as possible so these six ballot initiatives succeed in the 2022 elections.
The future of Arizona’s children and the fate of the Grand Canyon State’s Democracy depends on it.
Become involved and sign the six petitions.
Stay Engaged.
Turn out and vote.
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