PHOENIX — Four of the measures on Arizona’s November ballot now face a seven-figure opposition campaign.
Will of the People, a progressive political action committee, says it is spending $1 million to urge voters to reject Propositions 142, 144, 318 and 320, the Arizona Mirror reported Monday. The campaign plans to reach voters through mail, phone calls, door-knocking and digital ads between now and Nov. 3.
All four were referred to the ballot by the Republican-led Legislature on party-line votes on the final day of this year’s session, which means they bypassed Gov. Katie Hobbs. “Arizona voters will have the final say,” Alison Marciniak, executive director of Progress Arizona, said in announcing the campaign.
What each measure would do
Prop. 142 would amend the state constitution to bar public institutions from compelling endorsement of race-based preferences or DEI tenets, and from spending public money on offices or trainings that promote race-based preferential treatment. The Goldwater Institute’s Matt Beienburg has praised the underlying resolution as the strongest anti-DEI protection of any state. Opponents call it a confusing constitutional change that limits speech.
Prop. 144 is a constitutional package of election changes. It would require voters to show government-issued proof of identity to cast a ballot, whether in person or by mail, add citizenship-only voting language to the constitution, bar foreign nationals from funding independent committees and ballot campaigns, and, starting in 2028, give voters the option of having ballots tabulated at their polling place on Election Day. Its sponsor, Rep. Alexander Kolodin, the Republican nominee for secretary of state, says it would restore trust and speed results and denies it would end voting by mail. Will of the People argues it could make voting by mail harder. The Mirror notes the measure does not spell out how ID would be verified for mail ballots.
Prop. 318 would expand Arizona’s existing law barring transgender students from girls’ teams by requiring K-12 and college teams to be designated by biological sex, based on an athlete’s original birth certificate, starting in 2027. Sponsor Rep. Selina Bliss has said it protects girls’ opportunities. Opponents say it puts politicians in charge of decisions that belong to parents, coaches and leagues.
Prop. 320 would require larger school districts, including the 71 districts in Maricopa and Pima counties plus big rural districts with at least 7,500 students, to raise direct instructional spending by half a percentage point a year until it reaches at least 60% of spending. Districts that fall short would lose 25% of their Classroom Site Fund share each year. Sen. Jake Hoffman, the sponsor, says it would boost teacher pay and cut administrative bloat. Critics note it does not guarantee raises and leaves the definition of “direct instruction” to the auditor general.
Why it matters
Constitutional amendments approved by voters can only be changed by another statewide vote, which raises the stakes on Props. 142 and 144. Voters can read the official descriptions and arguments in the state’s publicity pamphlet from the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office before filling out their ballots.
Photo: Joe Hall via Flickr / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0). Generic file photo of “I Voted” stickers; not an Arizona ballot.