The ballot also will include about 15 initiatives and referendums ranging from the elimination of bilingual education programs in public schools to changes in the state's drug laws. In the last presidential election, the ballot included eight initiatives. About half the measures were put on the ballot by the Legislature and half through petition drives. Healthy Children, Healthy Families is already on the ballot. Backers of Healthy Arizona 2 are expected to file the required number of signatures today, which is the deadline for getting initiatives on the ballot.
Ballots packed with initiatives are a trend nationwide, elections observers say.
Reasons for the growth range from special-interest groups trying to circumvent state lawmakers to legislators not wanting to touch controversial issues. One big problem with ballot initiatives is that voters often make their decisions with no more than a bumper sticker's worth of information, said Sen. Dan Schottel, who decries the Legislature's abdication on so many issues.