NO on Prop 105
It's Wrong to Count People Who Don't Vote
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is Proposition 105?
A: Proposition 105, the so-called “Majority Rules” initiative, is a misleading amendment to the Arizona State Constitution. It would require that nearly every initiative placed on the ballot by citizens must receive the support of a majority of all registered voters, not just those that cast a vote. That means under Prop 105, “non-voters" would automatically be given a NO vote and counted toward the final vote tally. And that’s wrong.
Q: How does Prop 105 affect ballot initiatives?
A: If Prop 105 was already in place, a number of initiatives that passed overwhelmingly would not have become law, including measures that impact education, public safety, the environment, children, economic development, and public health. All of these initiatives would have all failed because those who didn’t vote would have been counted as automatic NO votes.
Looking at citizen initiatives that were passed by voters over the last decade, it would have required over 80% of people who cast a ballot to vote YES in order to pass those measures. That’s not a true majority. It’s an unreasonably high bar set by Prop 105 backers designed to essentially kill the citizen initiative process in Arizona
Q: What does Prop 105 do to our election process?
A: Prop 105 encourages voter apathy. Prop 105 takes away the voice of voters on matters affecting their lives and our state. Yet it actually gives a voice to and empowers those who don’t bother to get off their couch to vote, and even those who recently moved to another state as well as the recently deceased who remain on the voter rolls.
Q: Supporters call it Majority Rules but you say it’s not a majority. How so?
A: Prop 105 states that citizen initiatives must have support from a majority of qualified electors in Arizona—that’s ALL registered voters. So Prop 105 means that even if you choose not to vote, you will be counted as a NO vote. This is NOT a true majority. A true majority is counting votes that are cast, not those that aren’t. Prop 105 is misleading and wrong.
Q: You say Prop 105 is wrong. How so?
A: It is wrong because it counts those who don’t bother to vote or simply can’t vote, and assumes that they are all NO votes on citizen initiatives. It is wrong because those registered voters who don’t bother to get off their couch to vote are counted as automatic NO votes. It is wrong because it counts the recently deceased and those who have recently moved out of state but remain on the voter rolls as voters, and also chooses their votes for them – counting them all as NO votes.
Q: What if I cast a ballot, but choose not to vote for an individual initiative because I am not informed on the issue?
Your vote will be counted as a NO vote, even if you leave that section blank deliberately because you do not know enough about the issue.
Q: Why do you say that under Prop 105 dead people can vote? How is that possible?
A: For registered voters that pass way just prior to the election, chances are election officials will not have the opportunity to remove them from the voter rolls. So again, this act of not voting will count as a NO vote. That’s wrong.
Q: Would any citizen backed initiative stand a chance of passing under this system?
A: No. It would be virtually impossible for any initiative to pass because it would require more than an 80% YES vote in a typical election. Essentially, Prop 105 kills the Arizona initiative process, which is the goal of its backers.
And while backers of Prop 105 will say this only affects initiatives that increase taxes, that simply isn’t the case. Since EVERY voter approved citizen initiative requires the spending of at least a modest amount of dollars t0 implement and enforce it, EVERY initiative would be impacted by Prop 105, and the supporters of Prop 105 know that.
Q: Opponents say the language used for Prop 105 is misleading. How so?
A: Prop 105 states that “To protect the will of the people of Arizona for fiscal responsibility through true majority rule, any initiative that imposes additional taxes or spending must have support from a majority of qualified electors in Arizona.” A “majority of qualified electors” sounds nice, but it reality, it means ALL REGISTERED VOTERS. This is misleading in that the proponents want people who don’t actually vote to be counted. This is NOT a true majority. A true majority is counting votes that are cast, not those that aren’t.
Moreover, proponents say that Prop 105 only impacts initiatives that “imposes additional taxes or spending”. That’s misleading as well. The language is very clear. The operative word is “spending”. Every citizen initiative passed by the voters requires enforcement or administration, even at some modest cost. This is just a way for proponents of Prop 105 to kill the Arizona citizen initiative process.
Prop 105 is the most misleading ballot initiatives in Arizona history. This is an attack on our most cherished right—the right to vote.
Q: Who is supporting Prop 105?
A: Special interest groups led by tobacco and liquor interests are the biggest proponents of Prop 105.
Q: Who is opposed to Prop 105 and why?
A: A wide variety of organizations have come together to oppose Prop 105, which include Chambers of Commerce, teachers and educational organizations, the firefighters and police associations, healthcare organizations, and community and neighborhood leaders as well as elected officials on the state, county, and local levels who all want to protect your right to vote. And the list of opponents is growing every day.
Q: Prop 105 is an amendment to Arizona’s constitution. What does that mean?
A: Constitutional amendments are more powerful than any law that can be passed by the legislature or by voter referendums or initiatives. Once the constitution is amended, that is the final say. Even courts have no say over the matter beyond interpreting the language of the amendment. Prop 105 does not belong in our constitution. The purpose of our state constitution is to protect important and fundamental rights of our citizens. This unfair Constitutional Amendment will take power away from those who choose to exercise their right to vote and gives it to all non-voters. Arizona’s Constitution should not be used to diminish your right to vote. That’s unfair and wrong.
Q: Proponents of Prop 105 say that this constitutional amendment is about keeping my taxes down. Why shouldn’t I vote for that?
A: Prop 105 isn’t about taxes. It’s about voting and the voting process. Initiatives give voters the choice to choose directly what their government does for them. If voters support firefighters, parks, schools, or other essential government services, Proposition 105 will have the effect of taking away the ability of voters to help fund targeted areas that they deem important and may be neglected by elected officials. We all want low taxes and the best value for the dollar from our government. But if Prop 105 passes it takes your power away as a voter to direct government resources to areas of importance to you.
Q: Isn’t Prop 105 a good way to control those programs that are running up huge budget deficits?
A: No. It’s wrong to take away the rights of those who vote. To offer Prop 105 as a solution to budget deficits is extremely misleading. Despite what they say, the goal of its backers is to kill the citizen initiative process in Arizona.
Q: Won’t this keep out of state special interests groups out of our affairs?
A: No. Prop 105 does not address out of state or in state special interest groups. Its only purpose is to adversely change the act of voting on initiatives, and make elections unfair in Arizona.