Proposition 144 Challenge Could Affect How Arizona Voters Get Information
Are you short on time these days? I know I am.
Like so many, I’m very busy, but I also think voting is a sacred duty. I’m not willing to show up at the polls to vote without knowing what I’m casting a ballot for, so I try to do my homework.
Those handy voting guides the state of Arizona mails to us are an invaluable resource, but the legal language can be dense, technical, and difficult to follow. I want them to bottom-line it for me in natural, easy-to-understand language.
So, like a lot of voters, I read the summary explanation rather than the lawyer-muddled legal-ese so I can understand what I’m voting for.
Now I’m wondering how useful that summary is. There’s a new lawsuit in Arizona involving Proposition 144. Those summaries help us make informed decisions before Election Day—but are we being led astray?
READ ALSO: Here's What To Know About Arizona's Voter ID Ballot Measure
Why Proposition 144 Is on the Ballot
Proposition 144 is one of the statewide measures that Arizona voters will consider during the upcoming election.
Here’s a quick summary of what Prop 144 would do if voters approve it, thanks to Ballotpedia:
- Require only U.S. citizens to register and vote in Arizona elections.
- Mandate government-issued photo ID for all voters, no matter how the ballot is cast.
- Ban foreign nationals from making contributions to influence Arizona elections, and prohibit anyone from knowingly accepting those contributions.
- Grant voters the right to have their vote counted at their voting location.
Like all the propositions, this measure is described in this year’s official election materials booklet. However, conservative groups are worried about how the proposition was described to voters in the state’s official election materials, according to azcapitoltimes.com.
The groups think the state is influencing voters through the language it's chosen and believe it could sway the vote.
RELATED: Understanding Arizona's Election Controversies in Maricopa and Cochise Counties
Why the Secretary of State Is Being Sued
A conservative legal organization has filed a lawsuit against Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes that alleges that the official explanation of Proposition 144 is “misleading and does not fairly describe the measure.”
The plaintiffs argue that the wording of the description could influence voters, while election officials say they’re fulfilling their responsibility to provide explanations that help voters understand complex ballot measures.
Conservative groups are worried that the summary omits the citizenship-voting language and includes wording like "similar to prohibitions that already exist in federal law" and "may make it harder to challenge election laws."
READ: Arizona Voters Must Show Proof of US Citizenship to Register
What a Settlement or Court Decision Can Mean for Voters
Conservative groups are highly concerned that the summary's language isn’t sufficiently nonpartisan and believe it could sway voters' opinions.
If the challenge stands, it could establish new rules on how unbiased and how detailed the official ballot summary descriptions are in the future.
A lot of voters, and that includes me, rely on those summaries. We don’t have time to earn a law degree, and wading through dense legal language is cumbersome.
Let’s be real: who has time for all that? That’s why the language used in the ballot measure summaries has to be both neutral and informative.
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