The Jungle Primary or Top Two initiative appears to lack enough valid signatures to keep the measure on the ballot. Statutory verification checks have found that the initiative will fall just short of the necessary signatures. Supporters of the measure will now go to court to force the unpopular initiative on the ballot.
According to the Yellow Sheet, “results reported by Maricopa, Pima and Graham counties show that 4,975 signatures have been determined to be invalid, according to figures provided by the counties and the secretary of state’s office. No more than 4,970 of the 17,932 signatures that were sent to county recorders across the state could be deemed invalid for the measure to land on the ballot.”
The Secretary of State’s Office said it won’t officially comment on the Jungle Primary initiative until all of the counties have reported.
The Jungle Primary initiative’s support group, the Open Government Committee, said they are already preparing to take legal action to ensure the measure goes to voters this year.
However, members of Verify the Vote, Arizona, say it believes it has identified hundreds of petitions gathered by convicted felons. Arizona law requires that a signature gatherer must be eligible to vote in Arizona, meaning they must be at least 18 years old, a citizen and not a felon whose civil rights haven’t been restored.
Verify the Vote, Arizona says they plan to challenge those signature gatherers in court in an attempt to have those petitions invalidated.
Attorney Mike Liburdi said he may take up the case against the circulators. Liburdi said that it is ultimately up to a court to determine if there’s evidence that someone has been convicted of a felony, and therefore was not eligible to gather signatures, according to the Yellow Sheet.