Grand Canyon Times

The Arizona Free Enterprise Club has filed a lawsuit challenging the Make Elections Fair Arizona Act, alleging that the initiative violates the Arizona Constitution by including multiple amendments. The lawsuit seeks to prevent Secretary of State Adrian Fontes from placing the initiative on the November ballot.

According to the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, the initiative improperly includes several separate amendments to Arizona’s election systems and constitution. The brief points out that the initiative's official title, purpose, and the drafter's website all indicate it contains multiple amendments, which the club claims violates state constitutional requirements.

The Make Elections Fair Arizona Act aims to amend the Arizona Constitution by revising election procedures. This includes introducing voter rankings, consolidating all candidates onto a single primary ballot, and altering the process for advancing candidates to the general election. The measure also seeks to ban the use of public funds for partisan elections, ensure voting rights are not affected by party affiliation, and remove restrictions on ballot access based on party affiliation. If passed, these changes would take effect for elections after July 1, 2026.

"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," said Scot Mussi, president of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club. "This egregious disregard for law and order exudes arrogance from these parties and should disqualify their measure from the November ballot."

The Arizona Free Enterprise Club is an organization focused on reducing income and property taxes, opposing subsidies and special interest benefits, and supporting regulatory reform. It advocates for fiscal discipline, limited government, and a balanced budget while promoting consumer choice in education and healthcare, and reducing public sector union influence in politics.