In Arizona, the state Legislature approved a constitutional amendment related to signature requirements for citizen-initiated measures on June 12, 2023. Voters will decide on the amendment at the election on Nov. 5, 2024.
The measure would require a percentage of signatures from each legislative district to qualify a citizen initiative for the ballot. Currently, the signature requirements in Arizona for initiatives are 10% of qualified voters for initiated state statutes, and 15% of qualified voters for initiated constitutional amendments. The amendment would establish a signature requirement of 10% of qualified voters in each legislative district for initiated state statutes, and 15% of qualified voters in each legislative district for initiated constitutional amendments. The number of qualified voters is defined as the number of votes cast for all candidates for governor from the previous gubernatorial election.
The amendment was introduced as SCR 1015 on Jan. 1, 2023. It passed the Senate on Feb. 14 by a 16-13 vote. All 16 Republicans voted for the amendment, and all 13 Democrats voted against the amendment. On June 12, the House voted 31-29 to pass the amendment. All 31 Republicans voted for the amendment and all 29 Democrats voted against the amendment.
