Arizona Restrict Empowerment Scholarship Account Funds and Require State Board of Education Oversight Initiative (2026)
| Arizona Restrict Empowerment Scholarship Account Funds and Require State Board of Education Oversight Initiative | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic School choice policy |
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| Status Cleared for signature gathering |
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| Type Initiated state statute |
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The Arizona Restrict Empowerment Scholarship Account Funds and Require State Board of Education Oversight Initiative may be on the ballot in Arizona as an initiated state statute on November 3, 2026.
The measure would change the state's laws surrounding the Empowerment Scholarship Account program, generally referred to as school vouchers. The measure would limit vouchers to families that earn less than $150,000 per year beginning in the 2027-2028 school year and adjusted annually by 2%. Under the measure, families would not be able to purchase luxury items, including out-of-state travel, dining, amusement park tickets, home appliances, or home improvements with the money provided from the vouchers. The measure would prohibit the payment of family members with money from the vouchers, except for students with disabilities. The measure would require that teachers and staff at schools qualified for the program must have fingerprint clearance cards and be subject to oversight from the State Board of Education.[1]
Text of measure
Full text
The full text of the measure can be read here.
Path to the ballot
An initiated state statute is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends state statute. There are 21 states that allow citizens to initiate state statutes, including 14 that provide for direct initiatives and nine (9) that provide for indirect initiatives (two provide for both). An indirect initiated state statute goes to the legislature after a successful signature drive. The legislatures in these states have the option of approving the initiative itself, rather than the initiative appearing on the ballot.
In Arizona, the number of signatures required for an initiated state statute is equal to 10 percent of the votes cast for the office of governor in the most recent gubernatorial election. Petitions can be circulated for up to 24 months. Signatures must be submitted four months prior to the election at which the measure is to appear. A simple majority is required for voter approval. Arizona requires a 60% vote to pass ballot measures to approve taxes.
The requirements to get initiated state statutes certified for the 2026 ballot:
- Signatures: 255,949 valid signatures are required.
- Deadline: The deadline to submit signatures is July 3, 2026.
Details of the initiative
The following is a timeline of the initiative:[2]
- February 6, 2026: Protect Education, Accountability Now filed the initiative with the Arizona Secretary of State. The measure was granted a serial number (I-06-2026) and cleared to begin gathering signatures.
- March 11, 2026: Protect Education, Accountability Now filed a second version of the initiative (I-09-2026) to supersede the first version. The second version of the measure was cleared to begin gathering signatures.
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
Understand how measures are placed on the ballot and the rules that apply.
Footnotes
