Ballot challenge filed against Open Elections/Open Government Act initiative

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Lawyer/lobbyist Michael Liburdi for the secretive GOP redistricting organization FAIR Trust is also representing the GOP-backed Save Our Vote Committee in a ballot challenge against the Open Elections/Open Government Act initiative.

What can I say, even a broken clock is right twice a day. Open primary foes file lawsuit to keep measure off Arizona ballot – East Valley Tribune:

Foes of an open primary system filed suit Monday to knock the measure off the November ballot.

Attorney Michael Liburdi claims the initiative is far more complex than simply setting up a system where all candidates of all parties run against each other in a primary and the top two face off in the general election. He said the measure has "a legion of unintended consequences.''

More to the legal point, Liburdi said the initiative seeks the change via an amendment to the state constitution. But he said the constitution itself requires that amendments be limited to only a single subject to keep voters from being put into a situation where they have to support provisions they do not want to get the ones that they do. [the "single subject" rule]

He is asking Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Mark Brain to block county officials from putting the measure on the ballot. And Liburdi said if it gets to be too late to do that, he wants a court order precluding the votes for or against it from being counted.

The lawsuit was expected, with Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery, a foe of the initiative, raising the legal questions last week.

The Arizona Capitol Times reported that there are now three political committees that have formed to oppose the Open Elections/Open Government Act initiative. Open primary initiative foes organizing, but money is biggest hurdle:

Here are the groups that have formed in Arizona to oppose the ballot initiative:

Save Our Vote
Opposes the Open Elections/Open Government initiative
Chairman: Tony Bradley, campaign manager for U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar
Other key members: Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery, former U.S. Rep. John Shadegg

Safeguard Arizona’s Future
Opposes the Open Elections/Open Government initiative
Chairman: Ronald Ludders
Other key members: Mark Rogalski

StopTopTwo.org
Opposes top-two primary proposals across the U.S., including the Open Elections/Open Government initiative
Founder and CEO: Christina Tobin, head of Free & Equal Elections Foundation, former ballot access coordinator for Ralph Nader’s 2008 presidential campaign and Libertarian candidate for California secretary of state in 2010