with I-03-2004
A citizens' initiative to require proof of citizenship to register to vote, photo
ID to vote, and proof of eligibility for non-federally mandated public benefits
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PROTECT ARIZONA NOW with I-03-2004 A citizens' initiative to require proof of citizenship to register to vote, photo ID to vote, and proof of eligibility for non-federally mandated public benefits |
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Election 2004: The 'Other' Questions on the Ballot Insight on the news, May 7, 2004 ...the relationship between political parties and initiative proponents might be more complex, if not downright troubled. In November, ballots in four states might feature initiatives restricting illegal immigrants' access to social benefits and voting. The campaign in Arizona, known as Protect Arizona Now, is deemed the best organized. All 30 state legislators who vouched support for the measure are Republicans. "Eighty percent of illegal immigrants register and vote Democratic," said campaign director Kathy McKee, a self-described independent, to explain Democratic reluctance to back the measure. "But what is amazing is that we have to fight Republicans in this state, too." On a recent visit to the state, President George W. Bush denounced the initiative. According to McKee, the party's state director and other top Republicans vehemently oppose it. Experts explain the resistance with the potential of this and similar campaigns to energize conservative voters against Bush's guest-worker plan, seen by some as a pre-election flirt with Latino voters. "There's a good chance Bush might lose the election on this one issue," said McKee. "In this state, I'd be shocked if he carries it."... Predictably, some ballot-measure activists, McKee for one, decry the politization of their proposed initiatives as the presidential race unfolds. But on the bright side, thanks to this interplay between measures and parties, a spotlight on the issues forces its way into what often is a horse-race public discourse about the elections. |
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