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Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022

Would Proposition 129 limit Arizona ballot initiatives to a single subject?

Ngan Nguyen, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
yes

If passed, Proposition 129 would limit citizen-led ballot initiatives to addressing a single subject, and also require the subject to be identified in the title. Arizona currently does not limit ballot initiatives to a single subject.

Supporters of the proposition claim the amendment will prevent voters from being faced with “false choices” when they agree with one part of a ballot measure but not another. Overall, they say, it will make the process “clearer and fairer.”

Opponents claim the proposition would bring legal challenges, as there is no definition of what constitutes a single subject. They also note it will be more challenging for citizens to enact laws through ballot measures if they are “forced to propose multiple, piecemeal initiatives” to be considered a single subject.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

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The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is the state’s only independent, nonpartisan and collaborative nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide, data-driven investigative reporting. AZCIR's mission is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable by exposing injustice and systemic inequities through investigative journalism.

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