Arizona Allow Firing Squad or Lethal Gas for Death Penalty Amendment (2026)
| Arizona Allow Firing Squad or Lethal Gas for Death Penalty Amendment | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Death penalty |
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| Status Proposed |
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| Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment |
Origin |
The Arizona Allow Firing Squad or Lethal Gas for Death Penalty Amendment (2026) may be on the ballot in Arizona as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 3, 2026.
The constitutional amendment would allow individuals sentenced to the death penalty to choose as their method of execution either a firing squad, lethal injection, or lethal gas.[1] Additionally, the measure would require that if an individual does not choose a method of execution, lethal injection would be the default method.[1] As of 2026, only those individuals sentenced to death before 1992 were able to choose to be executed by lethal gas, and a firing squad was not an option for any individual.[1]
Text of measure
Full text
The full text of the amendment can be read here.
Path to the ballot
Amending the Arizona Constitution
- See also: Amending the Arizona Constitution
A simple majority vote is required during one legislative session for the Arizona State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 31 votes in the Arizona House of Representatives and 16 votes in the Arizona State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 1049 (2026)
The following is the timeline of the constitutional amendment in the state legislature:[2]
- February 5, 2026: State Sen. Kevin Payne (R-27) introduced the amendment to the state Senate as Senate Concurrent Resolution 1049 (SCR 1049).
- March 18, 2026: The state Senate approved the amendment in a vote of 16-9. Sixteen Republicans voted yes, and nine Democrats voted no. One Republican and four Democrats did not vote.
| Votes Required to Pass: 16 | |||
| Yes | No | NV | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 16 | 9 | 5 |
| Total % | 53.3% | 30.0% | 16.6% |
| Democratic (D) | 0 | 9 | 4 |
| Republican (R) | 16 | 0 | 1 |
External links
See also
View other measures certified for the 2026 ballot across the U.S. and in Arizona.
Explore Arizona's ballot measure history, including constitutional amendments.
Understand how measures are placed on the ballot and the rules that apply.
Footnotes
