{"id":2316184,"date":"2024-07-30T17:13:01","date_gmt":"2024-07-30T21:13:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawsuit-arizonas-ranked-choice-voting-ballot-initiative-is-illegal\/"},"modified":"2024-07-30T17:19:56","modified_gmt":"2024-07-30T21:19:56","slug":"lawsuit-arizonas-ranked-choice-voting-ballot-initiative-is-illegal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawsuit-arizonas-ranked-choice-voting-ballot-initiative-is-illegal\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawsuit: Arizona&#8217;s Ranked-Choice Voting Ballot Initiative Is Illegal"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flawsuit-arizonas-ranked-choice-voting-ballot-initiative-is-illegal%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2316184&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A lawsuit has been filed by the Arizona Free Enterprise \u200dClub and three residents claiming that a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-converting-hotels-into-homeless-housing-doesnt-usually-work\/\" title=\"Why Converting Hotels Into Homeless Housing Doesn\u2019t Usually Work\">proposed ballot initiative<\/a> for \u2064<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/andrew-yang-has-commanding-lead-in-nyc-mayoral-race-poll-shows\/\" title=\"Andrew Yang Has Commanding Lead In NYC Mayoral Race, Poll Shows\">ranked-choice voting<\/a> in Arizona violates the state constitution. This initiative, known as the Make\u2064 Elections\u200c Fair Arizona Act, aims to establish an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-biden-administration-is-a-loser-in-the-2022-midterms-democratic-strategist-offers-warning-to-his-party\/\" title=\"\u2018The Biden Administration Is A Loser\u2019 In The 2022 Midterms: Democratic Strategist Offers Warning To His Party\">open primary system<\/a> \u2062and implement \u200dranked-choice voting for general elections with \u2063three or more candidates. The plaintiffs argue that the act includes multiple distinct amendments, breaching the Arizona constitution&#8217;s &#8220;Separate Amendment Rule,&#8221; which\u200c prohibits combining different constitutional changes in a single proposal. They seek to \u200dprevent the initiative from appearing on the \u200cNovember ballot, stating that its\u200b authors disregarded legal standards.\u2062 The lawsuit names the state of Arizona and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes as defendants,\u2064 while the initiative&#8217;s sponsors are labeled the &#8220;Real Party \u200din Interest.&#8221;  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2024\/07\/localimages\/File-3AElection_Day_2020_-2850564532317-29.jpg\">Phil Roeder\/Wikimedia Commons\/<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0\/deed.en\">CC BY 2.0<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/30\/lawsuit-ranked-choice-voting-ballot-initiative-violates-arizonas-constitution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Lawsuit:%20Ranked-Choice%20Voting%20Ballot%20Initiative%20Violates%20Arizona%E2%80%99s%20Constitution&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/30\/lawsuit-ranked-choice-voting-ballot-initiative-violates-arizonas-constitution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Lawsuit:%20Ranked-Choice%20Voting%20Ballot%20Initiative%20Violates%20Arizona%E2%80%99s%20Constitution&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/30\/lawsuit-ranked-choice-voting-ballot-initiative-violates-arizonas-constitution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/30\/lawsuit-ranked-choice-voting-ballot-initiative-violates-arizonas-constitution\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Lawsuit:%20Ranked-Choice%20Voting%20Ballot%20Initiative%20Violates%20Arizona%E2%80%99s%20Constitution&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/30\/lawsuit-ranked-choice-voting-ballot-initiative-violates-arizonas-constitution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>A proposed November ballot initiative seeking to implement ranked-choice voting in Arizona violates the state constitution, a <a href=\"https:\/\/azfree.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/MEF-Separate-Amendment-Challenge.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lawsuit<\/a> filed Friday alleges.<\/p>\n<p>Brought by the Arizona Free Enterprise Club and three Arizona residents, the legal challenge contests the constitutionality of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.azleg.gov\/alispdfs\/Council\/2024BallotMeasures\/adopted%20analysis%20Proposition%20__%20(I-14-2024).pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Make Elections Fair Arizona Act<\/a>, a <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Arizona_Proposition_140,_Eliminate_Partisan_Primaries_Amendment_(2024)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">potential ballot measure<\/a> that would institute an open primary system in which candidates of all parties run in the same primary. The state legislature or other qualified appointees would be tasked with determining how many candidates advance to the general election, which would use ranked-choice voting (RCV) to determine the winner in races with three or more candidates.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-be0e7584d84eaac5a90377bf0286683f fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-be0e7584d84eaac5a90377bf0286683f\"><\/div>\n<p>The proposal also seeks to largely prohibit the use of taxpayer funds to administer party primaries.<\/p>\n<p>The state of Arizona and Democrat Secretary of State Adrian Fontes are named defendants in the lawsuit, while Make Elections Fair &mdash; the measure&rsquo;s sponsor &mdash; is named the &ldquo;Real Party in Interest.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Often referred to as &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/10\/31\/ranked-choice-voting-is-the-monster-under-the-bed-of-american-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rigged choice voting<\/a>&rdquo; by its critics, RCV is a system in which voters rank candidates of all parties in order of preference. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of first-choice votes in the first round of voting, the last-place finisher is eliminated, and his votes are reallocated to the voter&rsquo;s second-choice candidate. This process continues until one candidate receives a majority of votes.<\/p>\n<p>Plaintiffs argue the Make Elections Fair Arizona Act violates the state constitution&rsquo;s &ldquo;Separate Amendment Rule,&rdquo; which effectively bars multiple constitutional changes from being packaged into a single amendment proposal. The lawsuit alleges the initiative in its current form &ldquo;contains <em>twelve<\/em> different amendments, covering not less than <em>three<\/em> separate and distinct topics of election law, amending <em>four<\/em> different sections of the Arizona Constitution, and creating an entirely new section of the Arizona Constitution.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-c999df314cf546e9e021ca9fb3c789eb fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-c999df314cf546e9e021ca9fb3c789eb\"><\/div>\n<p>&ldquo;Because the Initiative contains distinctly different topics and amends multiple sections of the Arizona Constitution (both expressly and implicitly), the Initiative violates the Separate Amendment Rule,&rdquo; the suit reads. <\/p>\n<p>Plaintiffs also cited prior statements issued by Make Elections Fair in which &ldquo;The Initiative&rsquo;s Drafters Acknowledge[d]&rdquo; the proposal includes multiple changes to the Arizona Constitution, as alleged in the suit. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In their rush to undermine the will of Arizona voters for future elections, the special interests that drafted this measure ignored our laws and our Constitution,&rdquo; Arizona Free Enterprise Club President Scot Mussi said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/azfree.org\/blog\/2024\/07\/26\/arizona-free-enterprise-club-files-lawsuit-against-the-make-elections-unfair-act\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement<\/a>. &ldquo;This egregious disregard for law and order exudes arrogance from these parties and should disqualify their measure from the November ballot.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Plaintiffs requested the Maricopa County Superior Court to declare the proposed initiative violates the Arizona Constitution&rsquo;s &ldquo;Separate Amendment Rule&rdquo; and issue an injunction &ldquo;prohibiting&rdquo; Fontes from placing it on the state&rsquo;s November ballot.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-eccdaa0710c3c9952978a1dca9dbe3b2 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-eccdaa0710c3c9952978a1dca9dbe3b2\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-139b974e11a87e609bff26d1f94b7ab1 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-139b974e11a87e609bff26d1f94b7ab1\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-american-freedom-convoy-set-to-launch-on-march-1\/\" title=\"Exclusive: \u2018American Freedom Convoy\u2019 Set To Launch On March 1\">state content writer<\/a> for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\" rel=\"noopener\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/2024-election\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">2024 election<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/arizona\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Arizona<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/arizona-free-enterprise-club\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Arizona Free Enterprise Club<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/ballot-amendments\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">ballot amendments<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/elections\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Elections<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/lawsuit\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Lawsuit<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/make-elections-fair\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Make Elections Fair<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/open-primaries\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">open primaries<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/ranked-choice-voting\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">ranked-choice voting<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/rcv\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">RCV<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A lawsuit filed on Friday claims that a proposed ballot initiative for November, which aims to introduce ranked-choice voting in Arizona, is unconstitutional. The legal action, initiated by the Arizona Free Enterprise Club along with three residents of the state, challenges the legality of the Make Elections Fair Arizona Act. This potential measure would create an open primary system allowing candidates from all parties to compete in the same primary election. It would also assign responsibility to the state legislature or qualified appointees for deciding how many candidates progress to the general election, where ranked-choice voting (RCV) would be used if there are three or more candidates.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, this proposal seeks to significantly limit taxpayer funding for party primaries. The lawsuit names both the state of Arizona and Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes as defendants, while Make Elections Fair is identified as having a vested interest in the case.<\/p>\n<p>Critics often label RCV as &#8220;rigged choice voting.&#8221; In this system, voters rank candidates based on their preferences. If no candidate secures over 50% of first-choice votes initially, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and their votes are redistributed according to voters&#8217; second choices. This elimination process continues until one candidate achieves a majority.<\/p>\n<p>The plaintiffs argue that the Make Elections Fair Arizona Act breaches Arizona&#8217;s &#8220;Separate Amendment Rule,&#8221; which prohibits combining multiple constitutional amendments into one proposal. They assert that this initiative encompasses twelve distinct amendments addressing at least three separate topics related to election law and modifies four sections of the Arizona Constitution while creating an entirely new section.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit states: \u201cBecause this Initiative addresses clearly different subjects and amends several sections of our Constitution (both explicitly and implicitly), it violates our Separate Amendment Rule.\u201d Furthermore, plaintiffs referenced previous acknowledgments from Make Elections Fair indicating that their proposal includes multiple changes to state law.<\/p>\n<p>Scot Mussi, President of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, criticized those behind this measure for disregarding legal protocols in their attempt to alter future elections: \u201cThis blatant disregard for law shows arrogance from these groups and should disqualify their initiative from appearing on November\u2019s ballot.\u201d The plaintiffs have asked Maricopa County Superior Court to rule that this proposed initiative contravenes constitutional rules regarding amendments and seek an injunction against Fontes placing it on November&#8217;s ballot<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2316185,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/800px-Election_Day_2020_50564532317.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4472,36700,33739,4585,36265],"class_list":["post-2316184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-arizona","tag-ballot-initiative","tag-election-law","tag-lawsuit","tag-ranked-choice-voting"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/800px-Election_Day_2020_50564532317.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2316184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2316184"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2316184\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2316185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2316184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2316184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2316184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}