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Leading
● A-Z VotingArizona is one of several states that could dramatically change how state legislators are elected, but conflicting ballot measures could push the state in two very different directions.
The bipartisan group Arizona Election Integrity announced last Wednesday that Over 584,000 signatures were submitted. Put a constitutional amendment on the fall ballot. abolish The state’s current partisan primary system doesn’t begin until 2026. County election officials Until August 22 The group has submitted approximately 384,000 valid signatures. Accounts for 15% The number of people who voted for Governor in the last election.
The MEFA amendment would provide access to all candidates, regardless of party affiliation. Run with one vote Not just in congressional elections, but in elections for state and county offices where only one person can win.
That would leave it up to Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, and the Legislature to decide whether two, three, four or five candidates advance to the general election. You can choose different numbers for different posts. In case more than two candidates are able to advance, a “vote ranking” will be used to determine the winner.
The plan would also require “additional candidates” to enter elections in which more than one candidate could win. State Legislator And the state Corporate Affairs CommitteeIt would also be up to the governor and legislature to decide how many candidates could move forward. Within the scope of the proposed amendment.
But if those state leaders can’t agree on all those details by Nov. 1, 2025, it will fall to the Secretary of State (currently held by Democrat Adrian Fontes) to make those decisions. State legislatures can only change the number of candidates who can run on the ballot.[n]Not more than once every six years.”
But Republicans are hoping voters will support a counter amendment that would preserve the status quo. They can use their slim majorities in both houses of Congress to push for a deal to end the House of Representatives vote. Propose to voters To maintain the partisan primary system. If both proposals pass, only the one with the most votes will go ahead.
But if the MEFA proposal passes, it is unlikely that any system allowing ranked choice voting will move forward as long as Republicans control at least one chamber of the House. In fact, a reform group called Voter Choice Arizona has said: Last year, we were warned The most likely outcome would be the adoption of a top-two primary system, as currently used in two states, California and Washington.
Until now Written previouslyIn a top-two primary, both parties need to be careful not to be shut out of the general election even if they are in a favorable position for it, which has happened to both parties. Democratic Party and Republican In California, however, Arizona voters’ choice Initially, I wanted to move forward They passed their own amendment to limit the number of candidates to five who advance to a general election using a quick-fire runoff system, but the plan did not move forward.
MEFA leaders say some of the proponents of ranked selection are Supporting their effortsargue that whatever happens next, winning the vote will weaken extremism. “They’ve given us a system of partisan gridlock, where any compromise is seen as treason to the side you happen to be on,” said former state Attorney General Terry Goddard, who was the Democratic candidate for governor in both 1990 and 2010.
Several other states may also vote to reform their current election systems in 2024. Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregonand South Dakota—Washington DCConservatives have promoted a variety of plans to eliminate partisan primaries, adopt ranked-choice voting, or do both. AlaskaOn the other hand, he supports an amendment that would abolish the nation’s first top-four system and reinstate the old party-based primary system.
Q2 Funding
- AZ-Sen: Ruben Gallego (D): Raised $10.4 million, had $9.2 million in cash on hand
- MI-Sen: Elisa Slotkin (D): Raised $6.45 million, had $9.5 million cash on hand
- New Jersey State Senate: Andy Kim (D): Raised $2 million, had $4 million cash on hand
- CA-41: Ken Calvert (R-inc): Raised $1.4M, has $3.6M cash on hand. Will Rollins (D): Raised $2.2 million, had $4.7 million in cash on hand
- TX-23: Tony Gonzales (R-inc): Raised $1.7M, has $1.3M in cash on hand
- WA-06: Hilary Franz (D): Raised $460,000
House
● AZ-01Noble Predictive Insights, which sometimes works for conservative clients, “There is no clear leader” He will face off against Republican Rep. David Schweikert in a busy Democratic primary on July 30.
- Businessman Andrey Cherny: 16
- Former state representative Amish Shah: 16
- Marlene Gallant Woods, former TV news anchor: 14
- Financial Director Conor O’Callaghan: 11
- Orthodontist Andrew Horn: 8
- Former Arizona Regional Red Cross CEO Kurt Kroemer: 1
- Undecided: 35
Arizona District 1 Joe Biden wins 50-49 Four years from now, the two parties are preparing for a fierce battle here. Major Democratic groups Secured $7.4 million The Phoenix media market is spending $7 million on fall TV ad slots, and Republicans are spending a similar $7 million to back Schweickert.
Ballot Measures
● OH Ballot: Widespread Amendments to protect and expand voting rights The Ohio measure will not appear on the ballot this fall because Republican officials blocked supporters from gathering signatures by a July 3 deadline.
Attorney General Dave Yost said in January Rejects ballot titles proposed by supporters The “Ohio Voter Bill of Rights” was rejected as misleading, following the rejection of previous ballot measures. Lawsuit filed The Republican-majority state Supreme Court found Yost had exceeded his authority. Refusal to settle the case earlyThe move effectively ensures that the bill cannot go into effect in 2024.
Nevertheless, supporters plan to challenge it again in future elections, and their lawsuit Ongoing.
Prosecutor and Sheriff
● Maricopa County, Arizona SheriffABC15 has obtained a report from the Phoenix Equal Opportunity Department that “substantiates” the newly revealed allegations made by former police officer Tyler Kamp. Sexually harassed a subordinate In 2020 and 2021, Kampf Challenged appointed Sheriff Russ Skinner The officer, who won the July 30 Democratic primary, retired from the police department before the investigation began in 2022 but was not disciplined.
Kamp told ABC15 the investigation was incomplete, suggested the woman who filed the complaint may have “downplayed her performance somewhat to avoid attention,” and claimed that text messages she had sent that were included in the report were “quoted completely out of context.”
Obituary
● Jim ImhofFormer Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe is a hardline Republican who served in the state Senate from 1994 until early last year. Died on Tuesday He was 89. We recounted Inhofe’s long career in Sooner State politics, which included his failed attempt to bring a monorail to Tulsa as mayor. Announced his resignation in 2022.
Voting Results
Ad Summary
Campaign Activities
