ballot initiatives in AZ - line of voting ballot boxes

New Laws: Ballot Initiatives in 2016

New laws are passed every year by state and federal governments. Needless to say, it can be a little difficult to keep up with them all. Ballot initiatives are one of the few methods of legislating that are sourced directly by the people of a state. Ballot initiatives are brought about my amassing signatures by registered voters to bring about a public vote on a constitutional amendment, proposed statute, or in Arizona, a veto referendum. In the state of Arizona, 150,642 valid signatures are required for state statutes, 75,321 valid signatures are needed for veto referendums, and a whopping 225,963 valid signatures are required for constitutional amendments.

In the interest of keeping our readers informed regarding Arizona law, we’ve put together the following list of ballot initiatives that will be or may be on the ballot during the upcoming election. For a complete list of ballot initiatives, visit ballotpedia.org. This is not a political endorsement of any particular ballot initiative(s). It is simply a useful guide to any new laws that may be created or abolished in the coming year.

On the Ballot

May 17th

  • Proposition 123, Education Finance Amendment: Increases funding of education by $3.5 billion over 10 years by allocating money from the general and state land trust funds.
  • Proposition 124, Public Retirement Benefits Amendment: Preserves the legislature’s ability to change public retirement benefits for potential future employees and replaces the current benefit system with a new compounding cost of living adjustment.

 
November 8th

  • Trust Land Management and Budget Reconciliation Amendment: Utilizes a portion of revenue from state trust lands toward managing those lands.

 
A sampling of initiatives that may potentially be on the ballot

  • No Toll Roads in Arizona Act: Prohibits existing publicly funded or maintained roadways from being converted into toll roads.
  • Legalization and Regulation of Marijuana Act: Legalizes marijuana for those at least 21 years of age, establishes regulations on the marijuana industry .
  • Death Penalty Repeal Initiative: Repeals the death penalty in Arizona and replaces that sentencing option with life in prison.
  • Used Car Lemon Law Initiative: Requires used vehicle sellers to guarantee the vehicle for the life of the loan.
  • Simplified Juries in Family Court Act: Simplifies the jury process in family court.

 
If you have any legal questions, contact certified criminal law specialist Todd Coolidge. 480-264-5111

*The information in this blog is for general information purposes only. This blog post should not be taken to constitute a formal recommendation or professional advice. We exclude all representations, warranties, legal liability or responsibility relating to its content.

Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (5/15/2016) NicoleKlauss (Flickr)