But despite organizers' attempts to build a broad coalition, the measure is expected to fail. The well-financed opposition of teachers' unions, which maintain that vouchers will destroy public education, is only part of the answer. The rest is pure politics. One unlikely hotbed of political opposition is in the vote-rich suburbs, experts say. To many suburbanites, vouchers seem like a risky solution to a nonexistent problem.
Satisfaction is even higher among suburbanites.
That's no surprise, says DeVos, who points out that most suburban voters have already exercised a form of school choice. He's hoping a teacher-testing provision in the measure will help attract suburban votes. While both the Michigan and California initiatives would guarantee funding to public schools, foes aren't convinced. The two measures have been further damaged by political infighting among proponents of school choice. In California, that's because Draper's plan would give vouchers to any child regardless of family income, including students already enrolled in private schools.