listen to this article
Do you have an opinion on abortion?
Ranking voting?
Border security?
For $75, you can share your thoughts with almost everyone registered to vote in November.
That's all it takes to include a 300-word argument in the voting pamphlet that will be mailed to Arizona's nearly 4 million registered voters ahead of the Nov. 5 election.
And now you might as well start thinking about what to say.
Discussions will be accepted starting at noon on Monday. He has until June 20th at 11:59pm to submit.
It's all part of a long-standing state law that allows individuals, groups and political committees to make their own recommendations to voters on ballot issues. The Secretary of State's Office will then mail these to each head of household that has at least one registered voter, one for her.
It all starts with the website “https:\\ballotarguments.az.gov” which will go live next week.
First, select the issue you want to comment on.
As for the rest, it's pretty easy. Simply follow the instructions, enter up to 300 words of what you want to say, fill out the rest of the form, and pay $75 online with your credit card when prompted.
What you do with those 300 words is largely up to you.
The Secretary of State's Office does not edit content. This means that any typos will remain. Therefore, please calibrate carefully.
But authorities said they may seek legal advice before printing the discussion, which includes several four-letter words not normally used in polite conversation.
But almost everything else, whether related to voting measures or not, is within limits.
There is no need to include a voting number such as “Prop. 100.” If you leave it blank, it will be filled in when the office finally assigns the number.
There are restrictions.
You are free to use bold or italics for emphasis on this website, but the use of bold or italics is not permitted.
Also, we only accept online submissions. Forget typing or printing anything at home and just show up at the Secretary of State's office with a piece of paper and $75.
If you have a lot to say and money to spend, there is no limit to the number of ballot arguments you can submit for one or more issues. Just submit the $75 fee.
Six bills already referred by Congress will be included in the vote.
Lawmakers are considering at least two more cases, one related to border security and another related to changes to election law.
Additionally, several organizations collecting signatures plan to submit a petition.
But here's the problem.
Just because a group files a petition to put something on the ballot doesn't mean it will be on the ballot in November. It is possible that it will turn out that there are not enough signatures by the July 3 deadline, two weeks after the hearing date. Or it could be removed by challenge in court.
In either case, you're just out of luck and end up spending $75. There are no refunds.
Conversely, if lawmakers add a bill to the ballot after the June 20 deadline, the Secretary of State's Office will reopen the portal to accept new comments.
What's already on the 2024 ballot (as referenced by Congress):
– Requires the state to pay $250,000 in death benefits to the families of first responders killed in the line of duty.
– The constitution requires political parties to place candidates on the general election ballot, a measure aimed at overriding ranked-choice voting initiatives.
– Imposing new hurdles on those seeking to put initiatives on the ballot by requiring signatures to be collected from all 30 Congressional districts.
– Limits the governor’s state of emergency declaration to no more than 30 days unless extended by the Legislature.
– Requires life sentences for those convicted of child sex trafficking.
– Allowing property owners to receive tax breaks if cities and counties do not abate nuisances such as homeless encampments.
Still pending in Congress:
– Establish new border security measures, including making it a crime for anyone who is not a legal resident of this country to enter the county from any location other than a port of entry.
– Makes various changes to voting laws, including eliminating most forms of early voting.
Initiative petition deadline is July 3:
– Raise the minimum wage by an additional $1 an hour in 2025 and 2026, adjusted for inflation, and repeal current law that allows lower wages for tipped employees.
– Introducing a new way to list candidates’ names on general election ballots, compared to the current system, which is tied to which party’s gubernatorial candidate won a county last time.
– The constitution guarantees the right to abortion without any restrictions on the viability of the fetus, and abortions are permitted after that date.
– Establish a ranked-choice voting system in which all voters and all candidates compete against each other in primaries, with the top nominees advancing to the general election, regardless of party.
Please note that there are other initiative petitions that have been approved. But the Secretary of State's Office said it has not yet heard from these advocates about their plans to introduce legislation.
