PHOENIX – With a voter guide as thick as a novel and sample ballots the size of posters, Arizona voters have a lot of homework to do before they step into the booth on Election Day.
Arizona’s ballot contains 19 initiative and referendum measures – the most of any state this year – plus the usual slate of candidates for offices from the U.S. Senate on down. The voter guide explaining it all is 240 pages long.
The measures were put on the ballot by lawmakers or commissions, or through petition drives. The subjects include gay marriage, workplace smoking, illegal immigration and legislative pay. Some are calculated to spur voter turnout, while others are intended to override or head off court rulings.
The number of ballot measures apparently ties a state record, said Deputy Secretary of State Kevin Tyne. Unofficial records indicate Arizona had 19 measures in 1950, he said.
Nationally, there are 205 ballot measures, including 14 in Colorado and 13 in California, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Other states with large numbers of ballot measures include South Dakota (11), Nevada (10), Oregon (10), Nebraska and Rhode Island (9 each).
“This is direct democracy at work,” said lawyer and college instructor Toni McClory, author of a textbook on the Arizona Constitution.
Glendale retiree Irene Bourke said she accepts the many choices on this year’s ballot as a citizen’s duty but still regards it as a chore. “It will take me an hour to vote!” she said.
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