The Goldwater Institute has won a victory over the union-backed initiative targeting Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program. The anti-school choice initiative failed due to the teachers’ union’s failure to gather enough valid signatures to get it on the 2026 General election ballot.
“The teacher unions came after Arizona parents and lost,” said Arizona House Speaker Steve Montenegro. “They set out to gut Arizona’s ESA program and take school choice away from families who depend on it. Instead, Arizona voters will not face that threat on the ballot this November. That is a major victory for parents, students, and educational freedom.”
“But no one should mistake this defeat for the end of the fight,” warned Montenegro. “School choice opponents have spent years trying to roll back educational freedom in Arizona, and they will keep trying. Arizona House Republicans will keep standing with parents. We will defend ESAs, protect school choice, and make sure parents, not unions, bureaucrats, or politicians, remain in charge of their children’s education.”
The Goldwater Institute’s challenge was supported by various school-choice advocacy groups in their review of petitions and identification of invalid signatures.
According to the Free Enterprise Club, “many of the disqualified signatures were duplicates or were collected by legally ineligible circulators with serious criminal histories.”
“This is a major victory for Arizona parents, students, and the integrity of our elections,” said Free Enterprise Club President Scot Mussi. “The unions spent millions trying to dismantle school choice and still failed to collect enough lawful, valid signatures. Arizona’s election laws apply to everyone.”
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