A Guide written by the Civic Engagement Beyond Voting Organization
CEBV 2024 State Propositions Guide
***** In a nutshell: *****
Yes on Prop 139, No on all other statewide measures.
The 2024 election is coming! You’ve probably already chosen your candidates, but what about judges, school board candidates, propositions and the rest? Voters who go looking often find conflicting information — or no information at all.
Prop 133: No
Summary. Prop 133 asks voters to enshrine Arizona's current partisan primary system into the state Constitution.
Prop 134: No
Summary. Prop 134 asks voters to amend the state Constitution to restrict Arizona’s initiative and referendum process by requiring ballot measures to collect signatures from a percentage of voters in each of Arizona’s 30 legislative districts: 10% for initiatives and 15% for a constitutional amendment.
Prop 135: No
Prop 136: No
Summary. Prop 136 asks voters to amend the Arizona Constitution to allow anyone to sue to invalidate a citizen initiative, even before it's been placed on the ballot, on grounds that it is not constitutional. If the plaintiffs can get a judge to agree with them, the initiative would be thrown off the ballot, even if enough voters signed to qualify it.
Prop 137: No
Summary. Prop 137 asks voters to amend the Constitution to eliminate the current retention process for judges in Arizona's 4 most populous counties, along with all appellate and Supreme Court judges. Lawmakers want us to allow these judges to serve until the mandatory retirement age of 70, instead of facing public retention elections every 4-6 years. Retention questions would go to voters only in the most limited cases, such as if a judge is convicted of a felony. This ends a critical part of the process that former US Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O’Connor championed during her service in the Arizona Senate in the 1970s and actively promoted throughout her life.
Prop 138: No
Summary. Prop 138 asks voters to amend the Arizona Constitution to create a sub-minimum hourly wage for tipped employees that is up to 25% lower than the current minimum wage, as long as they make at least $2/hr over minimum wage once tips are included.
Prop 139, Arizona Abortion Access Act: Yes
Summary. The Arizona Abortion Access Act would restore the rights that generations of women had under Roe v. Wade by amending the state Constitution to guarantee a fundamental right to receive abortion care until the fetus is viable outside the uterus (up to 24 weeks), with exceptions after that point if a health care provider deems it necessary to preserve the life, physical or mental health of their patient.
Prop 140: No
Summary. Prop 140 would amend the Arizona Constitution to open primaries to all voters, regardless of party affiliation. All candidates would appear on the same ballot, which would be sent to all registered voters. The measure also makes a number of smaller changes, such as prohibiting public monies from being spent to run “political party elections.” (This change may also eliminate the role of elected precinct committee members in nominating replacements for legislators who leave office between elections.)
Prop 311: No
Summary. Prop 311 would add a $20 fee to every criminal conviction to give to spouses or children of police officers and first responders (firefighters, fire marshals or inspectors, EMTs, paramedics, tribal police officers) who are killed in the line of duty. If approved, the family of a killed first responder or officer would receive $250,000.
Prop 312: No
Summary. Prop 312 would ask voters to require cities and counties to give property owners tax refunds if the county or city “declines to enforce” existing laws that criminalize common activities for people experiencing homelessness. These activities include illegal camping, obstructing public thoroughfares, loitering and panhandling.
Prop 313: No
Summary. Prop 313 would require those convicted of sex trafficking of minors to spend life in prison with no chance of ever being released. The measure was inspired by a film with ties to QAnon conspiracy theories.
Prop 314: No
Summary. Prop 314 is a sweeping ballot measure that asks voters to make it a state crime to cross a federal border without documentation and give local police immunity to arrest those they simply suspect of crossing the border illegally, enabling racial profiling without consequences. The measure makes it a class 6 felony to use false documentation to apply for employment or public benefits, and also makes it a class 2 felony to knowingly sell fentanyl that leads to the death of another person.
Prop 315: No
Summary. Prop 315 would ask voters to block Arizona agencies from creating rules that would increase regulatory costs by more than $500,000 over 5 years. The Legislature would instead be required to enact legislation to ratify the proposed rule into law.