Bipartisan Coalition Forms To Fight Prop 140’s Tranformation Of Arizona’s Elections System
By Matthew Holloway |
After a stunning decision by the Arizona Supreme Court that will allow votes to be tabulated for Proposition 140, which would usher in ranked-choice voting, a coalition has formed to defeat the measure.
The NO on Prop 140 Committee, co-chaired by Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb and former Arizona Supreme Court Justice Andrew Gould, has launched a concerted effort to defeat the measure alongside organizations on both sides of the aisle including:
- Coconino County Democrats
- Gila County Democrats
- Arizona Free Enterprise Club
- Center for Arizona Policy
- Heritage Action for America
- AMAC Action
- Goldwater Institute
- Republican Party of Arizona
- North Scottsdale Democrats
- LD 5 Democrats
- LD 3 Democrats
- LD 8 Democrats
- LD 13 Democrats
- LD 14 Democrats
- The League of Women Voters of Arizona
- EZAZ
- Civic Engagement Beyond Voting
- Honest Elections Project Action
- Election Transparency Initiative
- South Mountain Democrats
- Libertarian Party of Arizona
- Turning Point Action
- Democrats Abroad
- Voter Reference Foundation
- Americans Constitutional Rights Union
In a statement, Lamb and Gould said, “Special interest groups should not decide how our elections system operates. Arizonans on all sides of the aisle agree: this scheme to transform our elections into a system found in California is a bad idea. We oppose re-writing our Constitution and imposing such a radical, convoluted scheme on Arizonans.”
According to the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, one of the groups involved in the bipartisan coaltion, Prop 140 would do the following if enacted:
- “Allows one politician, the Arizona Secretary of State, to decide how many candidates qualify for the general election ballot for every single contest, including his or her own race
- Would result in some races where candidates from only one political party appear on the general election ballot
- Would force voters to navigate two completely different voting systems on the same ballot, with some races requiring voters to rank candidates and others that do not
- Will increase tabulation errors, create longer lines at the polls, and significantly delay election results.”
Matthew Holloway is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.