There are 13 statewide propositions on your ballot this November and additional local propositions depending on where you live. Rep. Ortiz put together this guide with her recommendations Make an informed choice. Know your vote!
Statewide Propositions
Prop. 133-VOTE NO
What it does: Requires taxpayers to fund primary elections and prevents nonpartisan primaries in State and Federal races.
Why a "no" vote? Prop. 133 is a Republican-backed attempt to stop any potential changes to the primary system. It would require taxpayers to pay for the primaries of all major parties and it gives the legislature more control over what is on our ballot.
Prop. 134-VOTE NO
What it does: Requires signatures from a certain percentage of qualified electors in each legislative district, rather than in the state as a whole, to propose an amendment to the Arizona Constitution or to propose a statewide initiative or referendum.
Why a "no" vote? Prop. 134 will make it extremely challenge to put popular citizen ballot initiatives, like the Arizona Abortion Access Act, on the ballot. It will allow any single legislative district to decide for everyone whether an issue can be put up to a vote, even if a majority of Arizonans want it.
Prop. 135-VOTE NO
What it does: Restricts the governor’s ability to declare a state of emergency
Why a "no" vote? Prop 135 is another Republican attempt to limit Gov. Katie Hobbs' power because they don’t like that she’s a Democrat. Arizonans trust Gov. Hobbs to lead our state through times of emergencies and crisis. That’s why the majority of Arizonans voted for her.
Prop. 136-VOTE NO
What it does: Allows a citizens’ ballot initiative to be challenged in court before it even files signatures.
Why a "no" vote? Prop. 136 is another case of Republicans changing the rules of the game when they start to lose. This measure opens the door for wealthy special interests to stop a citizens’ initiative they don’t like before voters even have a chance to put it on the ballot.
Prop. 137-VOTE NO
What it does: Takes away voters ability to reject bad judges
Why a "no" vote? Prop. 137 will end most of Arizona’s judicial retention elections, effectively giving judges lifetime appointments. It is retroactive, meaning if voters reject judges this November but fail to kill Prop. 137, those judges will get to keep their jobs. This includes Justices Clint Bolick and Kathryn King, two of the Arizona Supreme Court judges who voted to uphold the 1864 total ban on abortion and are facing a retention election this year.
Prop. 138-VOTE NO
What it does: Allows for tipped workers to be paid 25% less per hour than the minimum wage.
Why a "no" vote? Under current state law, employers can pay tipped workers less than minimum wage as long as they make enough in tips to make up the difference. Prop. 138 changes the mathematical formula that calculates the tipped minimum wage so workers will make 59 cents less per hour. Over time, the gap between the tipped and non-tipped minimum wage will grow. This is bad for workers and good for corporate profits.
Prop. 139-VOTE YES
What it does: Enshrines a fundamental right to abortion in the Arizona State Constitution
Why a "yes" vote? Prop. 139 restores the protections to abortion access that we had under Roe v. Wade. Regardless of how someone personally feels about abortion, women’s health and safety is endangered under Arizona’s dangerous abortion ban. These personal, private decisions about pregnancy should be left up to a woman, her family, and her doctor, not politicians and judges.
Prop. 140-VOTE NO
What it does: Eliminates partisan primaries by amending the Arizona Constitution to require every candidate to run against every other candidate in a primary.
Why a "no" vote? Prop. 140 is an attempt to change the rules of the game now that Democrats are gaining more political power across Arizona.
Prop. 311-VOTE NO
What it does: Requires Arizona to pay the sum of $250,000 to the surviving spouse or dependent of a first responder killed in the line of duty and establishes a penalty fee on every criminal conviction for the purpose of providing funding for the death benefit.
Why a "no" vote? Adds an unnecessary and inequitable fee to people impacted by the criminal legal system who face disproportionate financial challenges. Families of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty already receive a payment and tuition support under a federal program and a lifetime salary under the state pension system.
Prop. 312-VOTE NO
What it does: Allows property owners to apply for a refund on their property taxes if they spent money to mitigate problems caused by homeless encampments near their property
Why a "no" vote? Prop. 312 will drain limited resources that cities need to combat violent crime, reduce homelessness and improve safety in our streets. Rather than solving the root causes of homelessness, Prop. 312 will make the problem worse.
Prop. 313-VOTE NO
What it does: Requires an adult who is convicted of a class 2 felony for any child sex trafficking offense to be sentenced to natural life imprisonment without eligibility for any form of release.
Why a "no" vote? Prop. 313 has no exceptions for victims of sex trafficking who are coerced into crime. It will further traumatize victims of horrific violent crimes and gives them no opportunity for rehabilitation, mental health treatment, or leniency. It takes away a judge’s ability to choose a punishment that best fits the crime.
Prop. 314-VOTE NO
What it does: Legalizes racial profiling by allowing local law enforcement to arrest people they suspect of crossing the border outside of official ports of entry. Allows local judges to issue deportation orders without due process. Makes it a crime to submit false paperwork to an employer or agency that provides public benefits.
Why a "no" vote? Prop. 314 is an attempt to revive unconstitutional border policies that would hurt businesses, lead to family separation, and cost taxpayers millions in civil rights lawsuits—all while doing nothing to actually secure our border.
Prop. 315-VOTE NO
What it does: Prohibits any new statewide rule proposed by state agencies from becoming effective if the estimated cost associated with it is anticipated to be more than $500,000 within five years.
Why a "no" vote? Prop 315 is another attempt by the Republican-controlled legislature to limit power of state agencies because they don’t like that Department heads have been appointed by a Democrat governor. It will restrict state agencies from being able to adapt to emergent needs and rapidly evolving fields, like medicine and tech.
Maricopa County Only
Prop. 479-VOTE YES
What it does: Continues an existing, half-cent sales tax to fund transportation projects.
Why a "yes" vote? Prop 479 will provide much-needed updates to Maricopa County highways, streets, and transportation systems to reduce commute times, improve public transit, and make streets safer.
Prop. 486-VOTE YES
What it does: Permanently adjusts the base on which the Maricopa Community College expenditure limit is calculated to continue supporting students across Maricopa County with flexible high-quality and affordable education.
Why a "yes" vote? Prop 486 will provide a much-needed update to the community colleges funding formula that will not raise taxes. A lot of things have changed in the past 44 years, including the expenses of delivering current academic services and infrastructures associated with the high-impact workforce development programs that meet critical needs for Arizona’s economy.
Phoenix Only
Prop. 487-VOTE YES
What it does: Asks Phoenix voters to set the city’s spending limit to be equal to the annual budget, rather than a state-imposed formula that would limit city spending at an equivalent to the FY 1980 level.
Why a "yes" vote? Prop. 487 is voted on every four years and ensures Phoenix has the money needed to fund community needs, like parks and libraries.
Prop. 488-VOTE YES
What it does: Asks Phoenix voters to approve the City of Phoenix General Plan.
Why a "yes" vote? Prop. 488 will approve the General Plan which includes the city's plans for future development and growth.
Prop. 489-VOTE YES
What it does: Asks Phoenix voters to raise council member salary to $77,000 and mayor salary to $103,840.
Why a "yes" vote? When elected officials are not paid a living wage, the pool of candidates running for office is severely limited to those who are independently wealthy, retired, or have sources of passive income. We need more representation of working class people on the City Council, and in order to achieve this, we must ensure working class people can afford to run and serve on council.
For questions or comments on this voter guide, please email analise@ortizforaz.com
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