Arizona Single-Subject Requirement for Ballot Initiatives Amendment (2020)
| Arizona Single-Subject Requirement for Ballot Initiatives Amendment | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 3, 2020 | |
| Topic Direct democracy measures | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin State legislature |
The Arizona Single-Subject Requirement for Ballot Initiatives Amendment was not on the ballot in Arizona as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 3, 2020.
The ballot measure would have added a provision to the Arizona Constitution that requires citizen-initiated ballot measures to embrace a single subject. The ballot measure would have also required the initiative's subject to be expressed in the ballot title, or the initiative would be considered void.[1]
Text of measure
Constitutional changes
- See also: Article 4, Arizona Constitution
The ballot measure would have amended Section 1 of Article 4 of the Arizona Constitution. The full text of the ballot measure is available here.
Support
Arguments
- Rep. Mark Finchem (R-11) said, "If you have multiple subjects that are crammed into a single bill, quite often the voters have a question about what they’re really voting for. So I think this is wholly appropriate. ... If nothing it helps the voter initiative process because people know what’s in the darn thing."[2]
Opposition
Arguments
- Rep. Athena Salman (D-26) said, "My concern with this bill is that it is restricting the citizen’s voice, restricting the citizen’s right that they’ve had since we became a state. ... And historically, because there is so much involved in getting something on the ballot, as long as the topic is related, citizens can go forth and propose something holistically."[2]
Background
Arizona Chamber v. Kiley
In 2017, the Arizona Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion in Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry v. Daniel J. Kiley—a case that addressed the voter-approved Proposition 206 (2016). Proposition 206 enacted statutes related to minimum wage and paid sick time, which the plaintiff (Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry) argued was two subjects in violation of the single-subject rule.[3]
The Arizona Supreme Court held that the single-subject rule found in Section 13 of Article 4 of the Arizona Constitution applied to legislative statutes but not citizen-initiated statutes. The opinion stated that Section 1 of Article 4, not Section 13, governed citizen-initiated statutes and that Section 1 did not include a single-subject rule.[3]
Path to the ballot
Amending the Arizona Constitution
- See also: Amending the Arizona Constitution
In Arizona, a simple majority vote is needed in each chamber of the Arizona State Legislature to refer a constitutional amendment to the ballot for voter consideration.
House Concurrent Resolution 2032
The ballot measure was introduced into the Arizona State Legislature as House Concurrent Resolution 2032 (HCR 2032) during the 2020 legislative session. On February 26, 2020, the Arizona House of Representatives passed HCR 2032 in a party-line vote of 31-28. House Republicans supported the resolution, and House Democrats opposed the resolution.[4]
| Vote in the Arizona House of Representatives | |||
| Requirement: | |||
Number of yes votes required: 31  | |||
| Yes | No | Not voting | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 31 | 28 | 1 |
| Total percent | 51.67% | 46.67% | 1.67% |
| Democrat | 0 | 28 | 1 |
| Republican | 31 | 0 | 0 |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Arizona State Legislature, "House Concurrent Resolution 2032," accessed February 27, 2020
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 U.S. News, "Arizona House OKs Limiting Initiatives to One Subject," February 26, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Arizona Supreme Court, "Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry v. Kiley," August 2, 2017
- ↑ Arizona State Legislature, "HCR 2032 Overview," accessed February 27, 2020
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