Arizona Open Primary Amendment (2016)
| Arizona Open Primary Amendment | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 8, 2016 | |
| Topic Elections and campaigns | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin Citizens |
| Not on Ballot |
|---|
 |
| This measure was not put on an election ballot |
The Open Primary Amendment did not make the November 8, 2016 ballot in Arizona as an initiated constitutional amendment.
The measure would have created an open election system where every person qualified to vote, including those not affiliated with any political party, has the right to vote for the candidate of their choice.[1]
Text of the Measure
The full text of the measure can be read here.
Path to the ballot
Initiative proponents needed to collect 225,963 signatures by July 7, 2016, to land the measure on the ballot.
Campaign suspension
On March 10, 2016, supporters suspended the campaign, because primary contributor, Texas billionaire John Arnold, revoked funding. Arnold gave $1 million to the Open and Honest Elections Coalition, which had been collecting signatures for this petition and the Arizona Contribution Disclosure Amendment. The coalition said that the contribution would be divided equally between the two campaigns, but Arnold objected to the money being used for the disclosure amendment.[2]
Former Phoenix Mayor Paul Johnson said that the suspension was not permanent:
| “ | This is a speed bump, not a dead end. ... The word ‘suspend’ is critical. It’s not the end, it’s simply a time for reassessment to see what our Arizona support is like. I think it’s robust.[3] | ” |
| —Paul Johnson[2] | ||
State profile
| Demographic data for Arizona | ||
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 6,817,565 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 113,594 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 78.4% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 4.2% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 3% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 4.4% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 3.2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 30.3% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 86% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 27.5% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $50,255 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 21.2% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Arizona. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Arizona
Arizona voted Republican in six out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
More Arizona coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Arizona
- United States congressional delegations from Arizona
- Public policy in Arizona
- Endorsers in Arizona
- Arizona fact checks
- More...
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "2016 Initiatives, Referendums & Recalls," accessed February 10, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 KTAR News, "Election reforms campaign suspended after donor pulls out," March 10, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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