Here are the 3 Arizona voter initiatives that met signature deadline for 2024 election
Jul 8, 2024, 11:00 AM
Three Arizona voter initiatives submitted enough signatures to qualify for the November 2024 ballot. (Cronkite News File Photo)
(Cronkite News File Photo)
PHOENIX – The organizers for three Arizona voter initiatives submitted enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot before last week’s deadline.
Petitions for measures to ensure abortion rights, overhaul the state’s primary election system and raise the minimum wage were filed on Wednesday, the last day to do so, according to the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office.
The Secretary of State’s Office said it will process the Arizona Abortion Access Act, Make Elections Fair initiative and One Fair Wage Act by Aug. 1.
The Arizona voter initiatives still have to withstand the signature review process and potential legal challenges to appear on ballots across the state during the Nov. 5 general election.
Three initiatives were filed today at the AZ Capitol. Estimated # of signatures are:
AZ for Abortion Access: 823,685
Make Elections Fair: 584,124
Raise The Wage AZ: 354,278These will be processed by the SOS office by Aug. 1 pic.twitter.com/jyVoZMRb2O
— Arizona Secretary of State (@AZSecretary) July 3, 2024
The ones that make the cut will join multiple ballot measures referred to voters by the Arizona Legislature, including the Secure the Border Act.
What do we know about Arizona voter initiatives?
The Arizona Abortion Access Act garnered the most attention and the most signatures. Arizona for Abortion Access, the group behind the campaign, turned in 823,685 signatures, more than double the 383,923 necessary to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot.
The Arizona Abortion Access Act would establish a fundamental right to abortion until the fetus has a significant likelihood of survival outside the uterus. It also would allow the procedure later in the pregnancy to protect the mother’s physical or mental health.
The Make Elections Fair initiative, which would eliminate party-based primary elections, is another proposed constitutional amendment. The Make Elections Fair PAC turned in 584,124 signatures, over 200,000 more than required.
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Under the proposed amendment, general election candidates would be chosen through single primaries for each office, with voters of any affiliation able to participate.
The One Fair Wage Act needs 255,949 valid signatures to qualify for the ballot, a lower threshold than the other two Arizona voter initiatives because it’s not a constitutional amendment. One Fair Wage Action, the group behind the campaign, submitted 354,278 signatures.
The measure would increase the state’s minimum wage by $1 above the cost of living increases for 2025 and 2026. It also would require employees to pay tipped workers the full minimum wage over time.
