In a unanimous ruling, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that Proposition 140, which creates open primary elections, will be decided by Arizona voters.
A challenge to the measure made it all the way to the Arizona Supreme Court after the proposition was already on the ballot. Ballots were sent to the printer on August 23. However, on Friday, October 4, with just weeks until the November election, the state's high court announced that it had ruled to dismiss the challenge.
According to a decision filed Friday, a judge ruled that votes related to the proposition would in fact be counted.
Video in the player above highlights ABC15's previous coverage of the fate of Prop. 140.
Proposition 140, also known as the “Make Elections Fair Act,” would create an open primary system in Arizona, ending partisan primaries.
The Make Elections Fair Act would open up the primary for partisan races to all candidates, even independents. Currently, Republicans and Democrats only face members of their own party in the primary. Prop. 140 would also put independent candidates, who under current Arizona law must gather more than five times as many petition signatures to qualify for the ballot, on equal footing with candidates who belong to political parties.
If voters pass Prop 140, it will be required for all local, county, and statewide primaries.
For more information on the propositions on the ballot ahead of this November’s election, visit ABC15’s voter guide here.
