Individuals or groups that want to propose their own laws or constitutional amendments would face an additional hurdle under the terms of a measure approved Monday by the Senate.
Current law allows those pushing initiatives to get their signatures from registered voters wherever they want. SCR 1019 would require that signatures come from at least five of the state's 15 counties and that at least 25 percent of the signature be from residents outside Maricopa and Pima counties.
The 16-12 vote sends the measure to the House. But even if it is approved there, it would have to be ratified by the voters in 2014.
Richard Mueller posted at 9:14 am on Thu, Mar 7, 2013.
Why shouldn't it be harder to get an initiative on the ballot? You are changing the Constitution, should that be a simple thing to do? Currently it is. All you have to have is a well funded out of state activist group drive to Phoenix, set up some tables with paid petition gatherers and presto! You get some Cali wacko initiative on the ballot!
What about the 14 other counties? Shouldn't you have to sell your idea to them too? Or is it just Phoenix that counts?
Things that come easy are often discounted and not held with high value; things you have to really work for are prized and held in high esteem. Why shouldn't voting be the same?
There's a whole lot more to Arizona than Phoenix and its silly suburbs who think they're so darn important.
Katydid52 posted at 11:52 am on Wed, Mar 6, 2013.
Why should it be harder to get an initiative on the ballot? If you get the required number of signatures, it still has to be voted on. If it wasn't a good idea, it won't pass.