IN FOCUS - Aug. 16, 2024

Some of Arizona’s biggest races this November don’t involve candidates at all. They’re ballot measures, and hot-button issues like abortion and immigration will be dominating news coverage and driving voter turnout.

This week, the Arizona Supreme Court weighed-in with decisions impacting Proposition 314 (“Secure the Border Act”) and Prop 139 (“Arizona Abortion Access”). Specifically, the high court cleared Prop 314 for the ballot after determining it does not violate the state’s single-subject requirement, and OK’d use of the phrase “unborn human beings” in the ballot language for Prop 139, reversing a lower court opinion.

Other high-profile measures headed for the November ballot include:

• Prop 135: Terminates any gubernatorial emergency proclamation after 30 days, except in cases of war, fire or flood.

• Prop 137: Eliminates future judicial retention elections for Arizona Supreme Court, Court of Appeals and Superior Court in Arizona counties with at least 250,000 residents, and nullifies retention results from the 2024 election.

• Prop 138: Preserves Arizona’s “tip credit” pay structure for tipped workers, while establishing a pay floor that guarantees these workers earn at least minimum wage plus $2/hour.

• Prop 140: Eliminates partisan Primary Elections. Allows Arizona voters to vote for any Primary candidate, regardless of party affiliation, and imposes equal signature-qualification requirements on all candidates.

A small number of legal challenges remain, but the clock is ticking. Counties will need to set their ballots for printing by early September.