Four Ballot Measures Threaten to Undercut Direct Democracy in Arizona and Arkansas

[Nevilledog]

https://boltsmag.org/ballot-measures-arizona-arkansas-direct-democracy/

Just weeks ago, voting rights activists felt good about strengthening democracy in Arizona. They had gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures for a ballot measure to implement same-day voter registration and protect mail-in ballots. And a dispute over whether organizers submitted enough signatures was initially resolved in their favor by a county judge—only to be reversed by the state’s conservative supreme court, which kicked the initiative off the ballot.

Instead Arizona’s ballot will feature a trio of measures that would significantly undercut direct democracy and future initiatives. All were referred to voters by the GOP-run legislature.

The coalition behind the voting rights initiative, Arizona for Fair Elections, cried foul over the elimination of its measure while the three others got to proceed. “Certain politicians have been intentionally trying to attack the ballot measure process for over a decade to prevent voters from being able to make decisions about Arizona’s future at the ballot box,” it said in a statement.

Hundreds of miles away, progressives in Arkansas face similar heartburn. Voters there raised the minimum wage and legalized cannabis for medical use in 2016 and 2018; this year, they will weigh on cannabis for recreational use. But here, too, GOP lawmakers have placed a measure on the ballot, Issue 2, that would make it harder for voters to circumvent them in the future.

*snip*

[msongs]

1. dems could spend a little bit to take over the legislature. I recall they are several seats short nt

[Hermit-The-Prog]

2. The radicalized Republican party revokes rights while giving power to GOP legislatures.

Roe, Roe, Roe your vote
against theocracy!
Republicans revoke your rights
and kill democracy!

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