citizens initiative – Powers For the People

Arizona’s 10 Ballot Propositions: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly (video)

Posted on October 7, 2022October 10, 2022 by Pamela J. Powers

Arizonans will face a long ballot when they cast their votes in the November 8, 2022 election. Besides voting on statewide, legislative, judicial and school board candidates, there are 10 propositions on the ballot. Of the 10 propositions, eight were referred to the voters by the Legislature. For the Legislature to make a ballot referral, the body must pass enabling legislation. Six of the legislative referrals are bad ideas that limit the rights of Arizonans or attempt to game the system. Five of them are Constitutional Amendments.

My views on the propositions are in the graphic. Below, you can read more about the propositions and watch the two part video from The Arizona Ground Game (TAGG) Speed Dating the Ballot Propositions event held on Sept. 17, 2022 and inserted at the end.

Continue reading Arizona’s 10 Ballot Propositions: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly (video)

#AZHouse Republicans Pass Burdensome Regulation on Citizens Initiative (video)

Posted on May 9, 2019February 15, 2023 by Pamela J. Powers

Arizona House Republicans recently passed SB1451, Senator Vince Leach’s latest attempt to kill the Citizens Initiative process. Every year, Republicans add new regulations to the popular Citizens Initiative process–like dramatically increasing the number of signatures, strict compliance on petitions (forcing us to write in between the lines or risk having our signature knocked off), or eliminating the pay-per-signature practice for paid circulators.

The worst part of 1451 was taken out in the Senate. That was the section that made people group the petitions by circulator and allowed for elimination of whole petitions if one volunteer’s petitions got mixed up with another. The house added another amendment to give the attorney general the power to change the language used to explain the initiative. (This is a scary thought, after all of the intrigue and BS that surrounded the language of the initiatives on the 2018 ballot. You’ll remember that the anti-Clean Elections initiative was allowed to be purposefully misleading.)

SB1451 is a bad bill that over-regulates the Citizens Initiative process, adds bureaucracy and slows the process of circulator recruitment and signature gathering down.

Leach’s SB1451 Attacks Citizens Initiative Process (video)

Posted on March 27, 2019February 15, 2023 by Pamela J. Powers

We have heard most of the bad House bills, and now we are hearing the bad Senate bills. SB1451 is another one of Senator Vince Leach’s attack’s on the Citizens Initiative process.

Every year he has at least one bill designed to make the Citizens Initiative process more difficult, more time-consuming and more costly. SB1451 is likely unconstitutional and will spark lawsuits. The bill is over burdensome on the Citizens Initiative process. The details of how petitions are to be grouped and how circulators are to be tracked are overly complex and will likely result in many valid petitions being invalidated. It also lengthens the time for perennial Citizens Initiative challengers (like the Chamber of Commerce) to mount challenges. Please voice your opinion on SB1451 on Request to Speak.

2017 Legislative Report Card

Posted on October 8, 2017October 17, 2017 by Pamela J. Powers

In 2016, I ran for the Arizona House on a platform of economic reform, equality, and tackling the opioid epidemic. I stood up to big-money politics and ran as a Clean Elections candidate, despite much advice to take the money and run.

I am honored that you elected me on Nov. 8, 2016. This year in the Legislature, I fought for fairness and stood up for your rights with my voice, my votes, and my bills.

I am running for re-election in 2018. As a Clean Elections candidate, I have pledged not to take big-money donations from special interests. This is my report card to you, the voters of Legislative District 9. It has been an honor to serve you.

Economic Reform & Public Banking

I voted against all new tax cuts for big corporations. Trickle down economics doesn’t work. Arizona needs new strategies to create jobs, fund education, and build infrastructure.
I proposed a feasibility study to create a state public bank. Arizona has focused its economic development efforts on tax giveaways for big corporations and austerity for the rest of us for far too long. The Republican-led Legislature has created a budget which gives away more revenue than it spends to run the state. When you’re in a hole, stop digging! Public banking is a sustainable economic development engine because it raises revenue without raising taxes. The Republican strategy of featherbedding the budget for multinational corporations and ideological experiments has led to sustained poverty in Southern Arizona and multiple local proposals for increased sales taxes. It’s time for fairness and equity in our budget and our tax system.

Continue reading 2017 Legislative Report Card