Arizona Supreme Court Upholds Stricter Petition Law — For Now

By Holliday Moore
Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services
Published: Thursday, December 13, 2018 - 9:02am

The recently established Arizona law restricting voters' ability to put their own measures on the ballot will stand as is.

Opponents, led by attorney Roopali Desai, tried to argue the Republican authored 2017 law is unconstitutional.

Specifically, that it creates an illegal hurdle by forcing organizers spend more money to ensure any petition going forward is submitted without error, no matter how technical it is.

Prior to passing, state law allowed "substantial compliance" when submitting petitions.

But, the Arizona Supreme Court agreed with the lower Court of Appeals that, until there is an actual case showing the new law has barred a petition from entry, it's too early for the court to consider.

Politics