Arizona Civil Rights Initiative Works to Rehabilitate Signatures

“Voters will have a chance to vote on the Civil Rights Initiative.”

Despite the announcement from Secretary of State Jan Brewer, indicating that the Arizona Civil Rights Initiative (AzCRI) does not have enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot, AzCRI is determined to fight for ballot access.

Max McPhail, executive director of AzCRI, stated, “We will review each and every signature that was rejected and we believe that we will find enough signatures to challenge the Secretary of State’s ruling.” McPhail continued, “If we do not have the time due to the ballot printing deadline we are committed to beginning the process as soon as possible for the 2010 election. Clearly Arizona voters are supportive of fair and equal treatment for every individual and it is the Arizona Civil Rights Initiative's intention to give them the right to vote for that principle.”

Ward Connerly, Founder of the American Civil Rights Coalition, expressed concern over some of the policies in Arizona, “In most other states that allow citizen lead petitions drives a voter database can be purchased for a couple hundred dollars. This allows proponents to check the validity of petition signatures as they are turned in and allows for necessary action to correct circulators with validity rates that are cause for concern.” Connerly continued, “In Arizona, proponents would have to pay well over $200,000 for the voter database. This year’s unprecedented low validity rate for most initiatives underscores the problem.”

The Arizona Civil Rights Initiative is dedicated to giving the people of Arizona the opportunity to end preferential treatment based on race, sex, ethnicity or national origin by state or local governments. AzCRI will make Arizona a place of equal opportunity for all, not a state that uses discrimination as a tool to create “diversity.” Achieving “diversity” should never be an excuse to discriminate.

Contact: Max McPhail
602-710-0430