Two progressive-leaning measures that would increase debt protection and require transparency in campaign finance have qualified for the fall ballot after tense, down-to-the-wire legal battles.
But the ballot measures, including the Free and Fair Elections Act, whose fate is still undecided, have candidates lining up on opposite sides, providing a sharp contrast as races from governor to secretary of state to Legislature proceed.back to the trial court, asking Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Joseph Mikitish to effectively show his math when he ruled that the wide-ranging ballot proposal had the requisite 237,645 valid voter signatures to qualify for the ballot.
And all three initiatives were argued up to the state Supreme Court, which rejected many of the technical arguments that opponents cited. The fourth time proved the charm for the effort to ask voters to regulate anonymous campaign spending. The Voters Right to Know Act qualified for the ballot with a buffer of 44,930 signatures.
“Don’t you want to know who is trying to tell you to vote one way or the other?” Goddard said of the pitch the campaign will make to voters."Sunshine is the best disinfectant."