Arizona voters pass Prop 131 to create lieutenant governor position, per projections

PHOENIX — Arizona voters have decided to create the position of lieutenant governor.

Proposition 131 passed in Tuesday’s election, multiple sites reported after Monday’s ballots drop in Maricopa County.

As of Monday evening, 1,276,699 (yes) votes outnumbered 1,035,680 (no) votes, according to the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office.

The initiative will amend state’s constitution by creating a position for lieutenant governor. Currently, if the governor can’t fulfill their duties temporarily or permanently, the secretary of state assumes the position.

The role is set to begin in 2026.

Proponents of the measure felt there’s been too much turnover in the governor’s office and not enough continuity, while opponents felt the position would be a waste of money and could lead to corruption. 

Arizona Sen. J.D. Mesnard sponsored the constitutional amendment proposal, which made the ballot after passing in the House and Senate with bipartisan support.

“We’ve had a high propensity of governors to leave office … it’s happened so many times in the last 40ish years that we had not, prior to the current governor, had a governor serve out a full eight years in decades,” Mesnard said.

While no formal opposition was filed through the secretary of state’s office, Civic Engagement Beyond Voting (CEBV), a grassroots nonpartisan organization, opposed the measure. 

“Part of the reason this failed so many times is that some Republicans consider it an epic waste of money which ‘bloats government’ for no reason,” the CEBV ballot guide said.

The amendment will require the lieutenant governor to hold another position in the executive office throughout their term.

This wasn’t the first time Arizona voters have seen a lieutenant governor on the ballot. Similar measures were voted down in 1994 and 2010. 

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