Debating Proposition 128 and what it means for Arizona voters

With the election just around the corner, some of the propositions on the ballot are taking center stage. One of those is Prop. 128.

According to Ballotpedia, Proposition 128 would allow the Arizona State Legislature to amend or repeal voter-approved ballot initiatives if any portion has been declared unconstitutional or invalid by the Arizona Supreme Court or U.S. Supreme Court. Proposition 128 keeps the Voter Protection Act in place, meaning that the legislature will still be unable to change or override measures passed by the voters as long as those measures are Constitutional and in compliance with the law. Under current law, the state legislature is powerless to correct the illegal or unconstitutional language.

Scot Mussi, President of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club favored Prop 128:

“Prop 128 is designed to deal with the narrow circumstances where voter approved measures or initiatives are found to contain illegal or unconstitutional language. Right now there’s no mechanism in place if a measure is found to contain illegal or unconstitutional language, absent trying to perhaps maybe go back to the voters which could cost a lot of money.”

Roy Tatem, Jr., of the East Valley NCAAP opposes Prop 128:

“This is not a great idea because as a ballot measure allows the people… there is two ways to make a law here in Arizona. One is for a legislature to propose a bill to go to committee, it is voted up or down, and signed by the Governor. Another way to make a law is the introduction of the ballot measure, which means we are going to take an issue to the people. So the people in Arizona have the ability to say they want this particular issue to be a law of the land. To me its democracy, a huge apparatus of democracy, and a pure execution of democracy because it is a people driven initiative.”