Watch the replay: Debate over partisan primaries vs. open primaries

A debate of Propositions 133 and 140 was hosted by the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission and the Arizona Media Association on Sept. 26.

The competing proposals ask Arizona voters whether they want to change the election system or keep it as is.

Former Phoenix Mayor Paul Johnson argued for Prop. 140, a citizens initiative that would change the way Arizonans vote by instituting open primaries and ranked-choice voting.

Former Arizona Supreme Court Justice Andrew Gould argued for Prop. 133, which was placed on the ballot by the state legislature as a countermeasure to Prop. 140 and would require a partisan primary system.

If both pass, the one with the most votes will take effect, according to the Associated Press.

Arizonans have previously rejected election reform. In 2012, voters rejected Proposition 121, a citizens initiative to replace partisan primaries with top-two primaries, according to Ballotpedia .

However, Arizona voters are interested in election reform. According to the statewide survey called the Arizona Voters’ Agenda , 77% of Arizonans agree with the statement: “Our partisan primary system rewards the most extreme candidates who then need to keep their narrow base of primary voters satisfied while they are in office so they can get reelected. We need to make changes to our primary system so we elect leaders who represent more than just a small segment of voters.”

What would Prop. 133 do?

A yes vote would change the state constitution to:

• Require partisan primary elections for partisan offices
• Prohibit primary elections where all candidates, regardless of political party affiliation, run in the same primary election, such as top-two or top-four primaries
• Change many nonpartisan city-level elections to become partisan
• And would not change independent voters’ ability to participate in partisan primary elections by choosing one party’s ballot

What’s the background?

Prop. 133 was placed on the ballot by the state legislature because of the effort to bring open primaries and ranked-choice voting to Arizona. By making this change to the state constitution, it would be harder for future election reform efforts to make it to the ballot.

The alternative to partisan primaries is open primaries, in which voters can participate in any party’s primary regardless of their party affiliation. Fourteen states, including Texas, use an open-primary system and six others have semi-open primaries.

Alaska uses a nonpartisan primary system in which the top four candidates, regardless of party affiliation, advance to the general election, where ranked-choice voting is used. California and Washington use a top-two primary system, in which the top two candidates, regardless of party, advance to the general election.

What about city elections?

The biggest change brought by a successful Prop. 133 would be to municipal elections.

In Arizona, many cities use open primaries for their local elections. Candidates for local offices, like mayor and city council, appear on the ballot without party labels, and all voters can vote for any candidate in the primary election.

In some Arizona cities, if a candidate for mayor or city council receives more than 50% of the vote in the primary, they win the election outright. If no candidate wins a majority of the votes, the top two candidates advance to the general election.

Prop. 133 would supersede city systems and require partisan primaries.

What about school board elections?

The language sent to the ballot by the state legislature says this change would not apply to school boards, which as they stand today are nonpartisan races. However, arguments published in the voter information provided by the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office seem to say this proposition could make school board elections partisan. It’s an important hypothetical. If the legislature were to make school board positions partisan in the future — and they tried this year but the bill was vetoed by the governor — then school board elections would need to comply with the partisan primary rules in Prop. 133, according to the Arizona School Boards Association.

Who is for Prop. 133?

Supporters say the existing system would be protected by Prop. 133 and would prevent Arizona or Arizona cities from adopting open primaries, which supporters refer to as jungle primaries.

With open primaries, it is possible that only candidates from one party would advance to the general election, and supporters of Prop. 133 want to ensure candidates from both major parties, and third parties such as the Green Party, make it to the general election cycle.

Supporters include the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, a conservative advocacy group that focuses on promoting free-market policies and limited government in Arizona.

Who is against Prop. 133?

Opponents of Prop. 133 are supporters of election reform and Prop. 140, a competing citizens initiative for election reform that would bring open primaries and ranked-choice voting to Arizona.

What would Prop. 140 do?

A yes vote would change to state constitution to:

• Require open primary elections in which all candidates, regardless of political party affiliation, appear on the primary ballot
• Allow the top vote getters in the primary election to advance to the general election, even if they’re from the same political party
• Require candidates to receive a majority of votes in general elections, not just the highest number of votes
• Require the use of ranked-choice voting in general elections when three or more candidates advance from the primary election and only one candidate will win in the general election
• And make the petition signature requirements the same for all candidates for a given office

The measure doesn’t specify whether the open primary system would be a top-two system or a top-four system. Rather, it leaves it up to the state legislature to pass a bill to set these rules. If the legislature doesn’t pass such a bill by Nov. 1, 2025, then the Arizona Secretary of State would decide.

What’s the background?

Also known as the Make Elections Fair Arizona Act, Prop. 140 made it to the ballot after legal challenges that went up to the Arizona Supreme Court.

Who is for Prop. 140?

Supporters say the voting system proposed in Prop. 140 is more fair to independent voters who have to request a ballot in the primaries now, and to independent candidates who have to collect far more signatures on petitions than partisan candidates. As of July 2024, independent voters make up 34% of all registered voters in the state, while 35% are Republican and 29% are Democrats.

Supporters also say this proposal will reduce political polarization.

The Make Elections Fair political action committee, which has raised nearly $7 million for this cause, is leading the campaign for Prop. 140, according to Ballotpedia . The campaign chair is Sarah Smallhouse, a prominent Tucson civic leader and president of the Thomas R. Brown Foundations. Independent Paul Johnson, Republican Beau Lane and Democrat Patrick DeConcini are co-chairs.

Other supporters include the Southern Arizona Leadership Council, Tucson Metro Chamber , Greater Phoenix Leadership, and the Center for the Future of Arizona , as well as former governor Fife Symington, a Republican, and former state attorney general Terry Goddard, a Democrat.

Who is against Prop. 140?

Opponents include the Republican Party of Arizona, the Pima County Republican Party, the Green Party of Arizona, the League of Women Voters of Arizona, the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, and the Center for Arizona Policy.

Learn more about ballot propositions and register to vote

See the ballot language and arguments for and against in the pamphlet from the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office .

The Arizona Secretary of State’s Office is hosting ballot measure town hall meetings . See details . They will be held:

• Saturday, Sept. 28, 11 a.m. at the Pima Community College downtown campus in Tucson
• Saturday, Oct. 5, 11 a.m. at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix

The Pima County Republican Party is hosting three meetups to learn about the propositions that will be on your ballot. See details . They will be held:

• Friday, Sept. 27, 6 p.m. at Oro Valley Church of the Nazarene
• Wednesday, Oct. 9, 6 p.m. at The Bridge Christian Church in Tucson

The League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson is hosting a virtual meeting about the ballot propositions at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15. Registration and details .

Register to vote by Oct. 7. You can register online . If you’ve moved recently, you’ll need to update your voter registration with your new address.

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