Arizona joins half a dozen states rejecting ranked choice voting – The Center Square

Prop. 140 will not pass in Arizona.

At 94% of precincts reporting, 59% of Arizonans voted against the measure, joining half a dozen other states to vote against ranked choice voting ballot propositions.

Prop. 140 would have eliminated partisan primaries, giving all voters the same primary ballot. The two candidates with the highest number of votes would advance to the general election. Additionally, if more than two candidates are advancing, it would establish a ranked choice voting system. Other parts of the initiative would have limited public funding of most campaigns and eliminated primaries for most city elections.

However, multiple groups including No on Prop. 140 and the Arizona Free Enterprise Club have spoken out against the proposition, saying that it would cause the “Californization” of Arizona.

“We are so grateful for the Arizonans who stood up to oppose this radical transformation of our elections systems,” reads a statement from Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb and former Arizona Supreme Court Justice Andrew Gould, co-chairs of the No on Prop 140 Committee. “Voters of all political persuasions wisely concluded that Prop 140 would do irreparable harm to our state if enacted. Arizona elections must be free, fair, and transparent, and that is what our system remains after this just result.”

The Arizona Free Enterprise Club had warned that Prop. 140 would give power to the Secretary of State to decide how many candidates would qualify for the general election, result in some races where candidates from only one political party are on the ballot and increase the delay in election results.

Make Elections Fair, the group behind Prop. 140, advocated for the measure, saying that it would make elections fairer and create equal opportunities for voters and candidates that don’t conform to the two-party system.