Lawsuit challenges validity of thousands of ESA reform ballot measure signatures

A lawsuit challenges the validity of thousands of petition signatures in an effort to keep Empowerment Scholarship Account reforms off the ballot this November.

On behalf of school voucher supporters, the Goldwater Institute is taking legal action against the Protect Education, Accountability Now campaign, which submitted petitions earlier this month for the ESA reform ballot initiative.

According to the institute’s amended complaint filed Tuesday, some petition circulators did not properly register, had false or incomplete contact information, and or were ineligible. The lawsuit claimed some circulators even had a disqualifying criminal conviction. If a circulator is ineligible, all the signatures they collected would be invalidated.

The lawsuit also said there are petition signers who failed to include all the required information and alleges duplicate signatures exist.

Olivia Fierro, a spokesperson for the Protect Education, Accountability Now campaign, said the company that handles the petition circulators conducts background checks.

Read the full story from ABC15 Arizona here.

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