This November, Arizona voters will make decisions on their ballot that impact freedom for generations to come.
Everything on your ballot is important, especially when it comes to advancing civil rights and liberties for all Arizonans. Make sure you read through your options carefully and fill out your ballot to the end.
Be prepared this election
- Make a plan to vote early in person or by mail between now and October 30! Click here for important dates, deadlines, and voting resources.
- Research the candidates and issues on your ballot and give yourself enough time to complete the ballot to the end.
- Know your rights on and before Election Day, November 3.
- Read our proposition guide below for the ACLU of Arizona’s position on propositions that would impact civil rights and liberties.
Propositions
The ACLU of Arizona is a non-profit, non-partisan organization committed to protecting the rights and liberties of all Arizonans. Below are the ACLU of Arizona’s summary and positions on five propositions that will have a significant impact on civil liberties and rights in Arizona.
Proposition 142
Position: OPPOSE
The ACLU of Arizona urges a NO vote on Proposition 142 because it violates the First Amendment, attacks academic freedom, and seeks to dismantle decades of progress that has created a more just and equitable society for all Arizonans.
Proposition 142 violates the First Amendment by prohibiting certain ideas, viewpoints, and beliefs from being discussed in college classrooms and in government workplaces. Courts have repeatedly ruled that ideas are not illegal. Proposition 142 punishes students and teachers for their beliefs, while prohibiting ideas disfavored by some politicians from being debated and discussed in a college setting or within the workplace.
Attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are attacks on our shared culture and values. DEI bans have been used to censor information about veterans, erase the history of marginalized groups, withhold vital funding for academic research, purge academic faculty, and censor academic discussion based on the viewpoints of the speaker. Proposition 142 violates the First Amendment and the values that make Arizona a welcoming and equal place for all.
The ACLU of Arizona urges a NO vote on Prop. 142.
Proposition 142 violates the First Amendment by prohibiting certain ideas, viewpoints, and beliefs from being discussed in college classrooms and in government workplaces. Courts have repeatedly ruled that ideas are not illegal. Proposition 142 punishes students and teachers for their beliefs, while prohibiting ideas disfavored by some politicians from being debated and discussed in a college setting or within the workplace.
Attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are attacks on our shared culture and values. DEI bans have been used to censor information about veterans, erase the history of marginalized groups, withhold vital funding for academic research, purge academic faculty, and censor academic discussion based on the viewpoints of the speaker. Proposition 142 violates the First Amendment and the values that make Arizona a welcoming and equal place for all.
The ACLU of Arizona urges a NO vote on Prop. 142.
Proposition 144
Position: OPPOSE
Prop. 144 would drastically alter Arizona elections by making mail-in-voting time-consuming, less secure, and inaccessible for many. The ACLU of Arizona urges a NO vote.
Arizona adopted no-excuse mail-in voting in 1991, and it was immediately popular, allowing flexibility for voters and wide participation in our most fundamental democratic process. Early voting and vote-by-mail have boosted turnout among older voters, students, working individuals, and people with disabilities without jeopardizing security or fairness. Vote-by-mail is the backbone of Arizona elections.
Proposition (Prop.) 144 would undermine this critical feature of Arizona elections by requiring voters to provide ID “concurrent” with casting a ballot. Currently, early voters who return their ballot by mail or at drop-off locations are already validated through signature verification. Under Prop. 144, voters must put a copy of their ID inside their early ballot envelope every election or have their vote not counted. Submitting identification along with every early ballot exposes voters’ highly sensitive information to a myriad of risks and will delay the tabulation of election results.
Additionally, Prop. 144 would narrow the list of acceptable voter ID, meaning voters could not use a utility bill, bank statement, or insurance card to cast their ballot — reducing access particularly for rural voters, young people, low-income, or other marginalized people.
Prop.144 would make it harder for many Arizonans to vote. Our democracy thrives because we give all eligible voters equal opportunity to cast their ballot.
The ACLU of Arizona urges a NO vote on Prop. 144.
Arizona adopted no-excuse mail-in voting in 1991, and it was immediately popular, allowing flexibility for voters and wide participation in our most fundamental democratic process. Early voting and vote-by-mail have boosted turnout among older voters, students, working individuals, and people with disabilities without jeopardizing security or fairness. Vote-by-mail is the backbone of Arizona elections.
Proposition (Prop.) 144 would undermine this critical feature of Arizona elections by requiring voters to provide ID “concurrent” with casting a ballot. Currently, early voters who return their ballot by mail or at drop-off locations are already validated through signature verification. Under Prop. 144, voters must put a copy of their ID inside their early ballot envelope every election or have their vote not counted. Submitting identification along with every early ballot exposes voters’ highly sensitive information to a myriad of risks and will delay the tabulation of election results.
Additionally, Prop. 144 would narrow the list of acceptable voter ID, meaning voters could not use a utility bill, bank statement, or insurance card to cast their ballot — reducing access particularly for rural voters, young people, low-income, or other marginalized people.
Prop.144 would make it harder for many Arizonans to vote. Our democracy thrives because we give all eligible voters equal opportunity to cast their ballot.
The ACLU of Arizona urges a NO vote on Prop. 144.
Proposition 317
Position: OPPOSE
Under Prop. 317, two or more individuals, including American citizens, could be classified as a “drug cartel” and “terrorist organization” under a dangerously broad set of circumstances. The ACLU of Arizona urges a NO vote.
Proposition (Prop.) 317 goes well beyond the state’s legitimate concern in addressing the threats posed by drug cartels. Prop. 317 declares drug cartels to be “terrorist organizations,” and defines a drug cartel as “an ongoing formal or informal association of persons in which members or associates individually or collectively engage in any of the following,” including “human smuggling” and “drug trafficking for profit.”
This could apply well beyond any reasonable definition of a drug cartel. Prop 317 would seem to define any group of two or more individuals transporting or selling illicit drugs as a cartel, and consequently, a terrorist organization. Prop 317 conflates low-level drug offenses committed by American citizens with the serious threat of organized crime. Prop 317 does not meaningfully impact human smuggling. Instead, people lawfully seeking asylum who are compelled to pay guides for safe passage through Mexico could be unjustly categorized as members or associates of a drug cartel, with serious legal repercussions. Prop 317 transforms participants in activity compelled by substance abuse or survival into terrorists.
Prop. 317 would direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to do “everything in its authority to address the threat posed” by individuals that no reasonable person would describe as “drug cartels” or “terrorist organizations.” It is a wasteful and irresponsible use of Arizona resources.
The ACLU of Arizona urges a NO vote on Prop. 317.
Proposition (Prop.) 317 goes well beyond the state’s legitimate concern in addressing the threats posed by drug cartels. Prop. 317 declares drug cartels to be “terrorist organizations,” and defines a drug cartel as “an ongoing formal or informal association of persons in which members or associates individually or collectively engage in any of the following,” including “human smuggling” and “drug trafficking for profit.”
This could apply well beyond any reasonable definition of a drug cartel. Prop 317 would seem to define any group of two or more individuals transporting or selling illicit drugs as a cartel, and consequently, a terrorist organization. Prop 317 conflates low-level drug offenses committed by American citizens with the serious threat of organized crime. Prop 317 does not meaningfully impact human smuggling. Instead, people lawfully seeking asylum who are compelled to pay guides for safe passage through Mexico could be unjustly categorized as members or associates of a drug cartel, with serious legal repercussions. Prop 317 transforms participants in activity compelled by substance abuse or survival into terrorists.
Prop. 317 would direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to do “everything in its authority to address the threat posed” by individuals that no reasonable person would describe as “drug cartels” or “terrorist organizations.” It is a wasteful and irresponsible use of Arizona resources.
The ACLU of Arizona urges a NO vote on Prop. 317.
Proposition 318
Position: OPPOSE
Prop. 318 is an invasive ban that polices the gender of student athletes in public, private, and club sports. The ACLU of Arizona urges a NO vote.
Proposition (Prop.) 318 would force Arizona schools and private athletic associations to adopt a blanket rule banning trans kids from participating in sports that match their gender identity. The ban does not consider age, level of competition, and sport and opens schools to lawsuits. Prop 318 would also force trans audience members and trans athletes to use bathrooms that do not correspond to their gender during athletic events.
Arizona law already bans trans athletes from competing in public school sports. Prop. 318 seeks to expand that ban into private spaces, inserting politicians and lawyers into our bathrooms, locker rooms, and coaches’ offices. It invites ‘gender checks’ on any girl who wants to play sports, handing frivolous lawsuits to anyone with a grudge against a school, a teacher, or a child.
We all want sports to be fair and student athletes to be safe. That’s why sports associations make appropriate rules about who can participate in different sports at different levels, not politicians. Proposition 318 treats kindergarteners the same as college athletes, and treats bowling the same as football. It allows anyone to play ‘gender police’ and sue schools, teachers, and coaches whenever they think a girl is “too tall” or “too strong.” Our kids deserve rules that promote sports fairness and that take age and sports type into consideration, not blanket bans like Prop 318.
Arizonans are fair-minded. We believe in playing by the rules and that the rules should be fair to everyone. Prop. 318 doesn’t make sports fair. It puts girls at risk of invasive questioning and scrutiny. It tells some kids, before they’ve even had a chance to try, that they don’t belong. That’s not the Arizona way.
The ACLU of Arizona urges a NO vote on Prop. 318.
Proposition (Prop.) 318 would force Arizona schools and private athletic associations to adopt a blanket rule banning trans kids from participating in sports that match their gender identity. The ban does not consider age, level of competition, and sport and opens schools to lawsuits. Prop 318 would also force trans audience members and trans athletes to use bathrooms that do not correspond to their gender during athletic events.
Arizona law already bans trans athletes from competing in public school sports. Prop. 318 seeks to expand that ban into private spaces, inserting politicians and lawyers into our bathrooms, locker rooms, and coaches’ offices. It invites ‘gender checks’ on any girl who wants to play sports, handing frivolous lawsuits to anyone with a grudge against a school, a teacher, or a child.
We all want sports to be fair and student athletes to be safe. That’s why sports associations make appropriate rules about who can participate in different sports at different levels, not politicians. Proposition 318 treats kindergarteners the same as college athletes, and treats bowling the same as football. It allows anyone to play ‘gender police’ and sue schools, teachers, and coaches whenever they think a girl is “too tall” or “too strong.” Our kids deserve rules that promote sports fairness and that take age and sports type into consideration, not blanket bans like Prop 318.
Arizonans are fair-minded. We believe in playing by the rules and that the rules should be fair to everyone. Prop. 318 doesn’t make sports fair. It puts girls at risk of invasive questioning and scrutiny. It tells some kids, before they’ve even had a chance to try, that they don’t belong. That’s not the Arizona way.
The ACLU of Arizona urges a NO vote on Prop. 318.
Proposition 320
Position: OPPOSE
Proposition 320 creates legislature-controlled red tape on funding for Arizona’s public schools. The ACLU of Arizona urges a NO vote.
Since 2020, 30 school campuses have closed in Arizona due to the failure of the legislature to provide proper funding and support. Proposition (Prop.) 320 is another cut to education spending in Arizona that further threatens Arizona public schools.
Prop. 320 requires schools to spend 60% of “operational spending” on “district instructional expenses” without ever defining what those terms mean. This is a bait-and-switch by the Arizona legislature that allows politicians to rewrite the rules to suit their political interests. Prop. 320 makes public school districts – not charters – eligible to lose up to 25% of their classroom-site fund allocation if they fail to meet the arbitrary and undefined requirements.
Prop. 320 would force large school districts, who serve some of Arizona’s most vulnerable students, to cut funding for programs that serve underprivileged students. This includes special education, healthcare, counselors, arts, athletics, and transportation – services vital to ensuring that community schools are effective for all students.
Prop 320 will NOT increase teacher pay, nor guarantee additional classroom funding. Instead, it would encourage district schools to charge parents, or cut, programs that make schools safe, welcoming, and excellent to attend.
The ACLU of Arizona urges a NO vote on Prop. 320.
Since 2020, 30 school campuses have closed in Arizona due to the failure of the legislature to provide proper funding and support. Proposition (Prop.) 320 is another cut to education spending in Arizona that further threatens Arizona public schools.
Prop. 320 requires schools to spend 60% of “operational spending” on “district instructional expenses” without ever defining what those terms mean. This is a bait-and-switch by the Arizona legislature that allows politicians to rewrite the rules to suit their political interests. Prop. 320 makes public school districts – not charters – eligible to lose up to 25% of their classroom-site fund allocation if they fail to meet the arbitrary and undefined requirements.
Prop. 320 would force large school districts, who serve some of Arizona’s most vulnerable students, to cut funding for programs that serve underprivileged students. This includes special education, healthcare, counselors, arts, athletics, and transportation – services vital to ensuring that community schools are effective for all students.
Prop 320 will NOT increase teacher pay, nor guarantee additional classroom funding. Instead, it would encourage district schools to charge parents, or cut, programs that make schools safe, welcoming, and excellent to attend.
The ACLU of Arizona urges a NO vote on Prop. 320.
A complete list of propositions, including additional local propositions specific to your county, can be found here.