BREAKING: AZ Supreme Court Clears Way for Open Primary Initiative

image
Kymberly BaysKymberly Bays
Published: 17 Aug, 2012
1 min read

open_primary

Arizona's Supreme Court today reversed a previous Superior Court ruling which struck the Open Elections/Open Government Act from November's general election ballot. The initiative implements open primary elections in the state of Arizona and ends funding of party committee positions. Maricopa Superior Court Judge Mark Brain previously ruled the initiative violated Arizona's single subject rule, and issued an injunction barring its inclusion on the ballot. Today's ruling reverses this decision and upholds the initiative as constitutional.

In a press release statement from the Open Elections/Open Government Act supporters:

"This is a clear victory for Arizona voters, and a defeat for those who want the status quo,” said Rick Romley, former Maricopa County Attorney and one of the key supporters of the ballot measure.  “Our political process is obviously broken, and with today’s ruling the voters will have a chance to reform the system. "We were always confident that the will of over 365,000 voters would prevail in court, and with this ruling, we are now even more confident we will prevail in November," said Sarah Smallhouse, Tucson community leader and one of the leaders of the campaign in Southern Arizona.

The court's order can be viewed here.

For more background on the Open Elections/Open Government Act court battle, see previous IVN reports:

Open Primary Appeal Reaches Arizona Supreme Court

Finance Clause Cripples Arizona Open Primary Initiative

You Might Also Like

Will the Texas Republican Party be Successful Where the Hawaiian Democratic Party Failed?
Will the Texas Republican Party be Successful Where the Hawaiian Democratic Party Failed?
The Republican Party of Texas (RPT) is suing Secretary of State Jane Nelson in an effort to close the state’s primary elections to party members only – a move that the Democratic Party of Hawaii (DPH) tried back in 2013 in its state and failed. ...
05 Sep, 2025
-
3 min read
Supreme Court building.
Retired Attorney Takes Voting Rights Case All the Way to the Supreme Court -- By Himself
The next big voting rights case the Supreme Court of the United States could consider wasn’t filed by the ACLU, the League of Women Voters, Common Cause, or another household name when it comes to voter rights. ...
09 Sep, 2025
-
5 min read
congress flag
Poll: 82% of Americans Want Redistricting Done by Independent Commission, Not Politicians
There may be no greater indication that voters are not being listened to in the escalating redistricting war between the Republican and Democratic Parties than a new poll from NBC News that shows 8-in-10 Americans want the parties to stop....
10 Sep, 2025
-
3 min read