According to a new survey by the Arizona List:
- Arizona Voters are strongly in favor of public initiatives to Stop Dirty Money and Invest in Ed.
- Voters are divided on ballot initiatives to stop school vouchers (known as “Empowerment Scholarship Accounts.”)
- There are three primary issues voters care about: comprehensive immigration reform including a pathway to citizenship, fully funding public education and affordable access to healthcare.
The Arizona List is a committee for pro-choice Democratic women in Arizona. The survey of 1,200 likely November 2018 voters in Arizona was conducted by veteran pollster Lisa Grove of Anzalone Liszt Grove research.
The results were shared exclusively with The Blog For Arizona. Subscribe to our blog at https://blogforarizona.net/subscribe-to-blog-for-arizona/
Popular initiatives
Stopping dirty money in politics is overwhelmingly popular with 78% of voters voting “yes.” Outlaw Dirty Money is an initiative that would change the Arizona constitution to say that any non-profit spending more than $10,000 on a political campaign would have to disclose donors who contribute at least $2,500.
Supporters say people should vote yes because it will increase transparency in our elections. It will require any front organization that gets money from the anti-consumer, anti-public school and anti-worker billionaires like the Koch brothers to disclose the original sources of the dark money.
65% of voters are in favor of the Invest In Ed initiative. It increases K-12 funding in the classroom, raises teacher and support staff salaries, and adds full-day kindergarten, by raising income taxes on individuals earning more than $250,000 and households earning more than $500,000.
The initiative will restore the $700 million in state funds cut from education over the last 10 years. “The Republican majority in the Legislature decided to balance the budget on the backs of our kids. Pima and Maricopa county colleges lost every penny of funding from the state, and the universities were cut too,” said David Schapira, a Democratic Candidate for state Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Supporters of this initiative say Arizonans should vote “yes” because for decades we have said we need to improve our schools and now the people of Arizona will finally have the chance to do something about it. Supporters say voters need to take this opportunity to give our children the schools they deserve. Arizona’s children are falling behind, and schools struggle to prepare students for college or a good-paying career.
Split on School Vouchers
Last year, Gov. Doug Ducey and Republican lawmakers narrowly passed a law to expand eligibility for Empowerment Scholarship Accounts to all 1.1 million public students. It grants tax dollars to parents for private and religious school tuition and other education expenses.
Voters are undecided on this initiative, particularly women 55+ and Independents, according to the survey. Save Our Schools submitted more than 111,000 signatures from school voucher opponents (only 75,321 were required) to put Proposition 305 on the ballot. The initiative that asks if voters want to keep or do away with the expansion of state school vouchers.
Opponents of school vouchers say voters should vote no to strike down the school voucher law because it will drain the limited education funding from our already strapped public schools.
Comprehensive immigration reform
Passing comprehensive reform that includes a pathway to citizenship for undocumented people living in the US is the #1 immigration priority statewide, according to the survey.
In contrast, there is little support for building a Mexico border wall. Support for the wall is evenly divided statewide, though strong opposition (36%) outnumbers strong support (30%). Only 17% of Republicans support building the border wall compared to 0% of Democrats.
Access to affordable healthcare
Nearly three-quarters of voters worry that healthcare is too expensive for Arizona families, according to the survey. This was a top personal worry for voters, and 73% said, “healthcare is way too expensive for Arizona families.”
“Voters’ greatest worries in daily life focus on healthcare being too expensive for seniors and families and lack of retirement security, especially that Social Security and Medicare may not be there in the future,” the survey said.
Good article, Mr. Bodine, thanks for this.
File this under “Life Goes On”. While it is true that the occupant of the Oval Office is a treasonous buffoon, an imbecile, and a dangerous con man who is in way over his head, we have to remain focused on human rights and quality of life issues. We have to stay focused on the future and believe we have one. As citizens and voters, we have to take care of one another because no one else is going to do it.