WATCH ADS: Fairness Project Funds Arkansas And Arizona Efforts To Protect Direct Democracy
Fairness Project Has Invested $800K in AZ and AR This Cycle to Protect Use of Future Ballot Measures
Washington, D.C. — In less than two weeks, voters in Arkansas and Arizona will decide on whether citizen-led initiatives should become significantly more difficult to pass in those states. The Fairness Project is working with state and local partners and has invested $800,000 to defeat four legislatively referred, anti-democratic proposals as part of its Ballot Measure Rescue Campaign.
“We are seeing a real-time backlash from politicians who are unhappy with voters using ballot measures to pass progressive legislation around the country,” said Kelly Hall, executive director of the Fairness Project. “These reactionary state legislators are trying to shut down use of ballot measures by implementing supermajority thresholds for passage and other obstacles. Imagine if a leading candidate for governor could be rejected by 41% of voters — we would call that tyranny of the minority, and requiring supermajority support for ballot measures is no different. That’s why we’re doing everything we can to defeat these blatant power grabs between now and Election Day.”
The Fairness Project is working with stakeholders in Arizona to execute “No” campaigns on three proposals and has invested $350,000. Prop 128 would allow the state legislature to overrule voter-approved ballot measures if any portion has been declared unconstitutional or illegal by the Arizona Supreme Court or U.S. Supreme Court. Prop 129 would limit citizen-initiated ballot measures to a single subject. Prop 132 would end majority rule, requiring a 60% vote rather than a simple majority for voters to pass certain ballot measures.
WATCH: Will of the People – Prop 132
The Fairness Project has also invested $450,000 in Arkansas to defeat Arkansas Issue 2, which would require a supermajority vote to adopt constitutional amendments and citizen-initiated state statutes, destroying the principle of majority rule. Earlier this year, the Fairness Project was part of the coalition in South Dakota that defeated Amendment C, another proposal to require a supermajority to pass ballot measures.